The Jacksonville Jaguars may be without a couple of key starters in the trenches when they face off against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17. However, they also got a massive break ahead of the divisional bout.
Already, the Jags beat Indianapolis earlier this season, and sweeping their AFC South foes will increase their odds of seizing the No. 1 seed in the Conference. Not having to face one of their top defenders will most definitely help.
The Colts are shutting down DeForest Buckner before the Jaguars game
A couple days before the Week 17 matchup, the Colts announced that DeForest Bucker will be placed on Injured Reserve, effectively ending his season.
The veteran defensive tackle had already spent time on IR with a herniated disk earlier this year. He returned in Week 16 but aggravated the injury. According to Colts head coach, he'll now need surgery. Buckner said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN, that the disk was "pressing on a never that left him without upper-body strength on his left side," adding that he knew of the risk but still wanted to give it a go.
On other hand, Indy will tentatively get Sauce Gardner for the Jaguars game. The First-Team All-Pro cornerback missed time with a calf injury after being traded to the Colts but returned to practice this week and is expected to be available.
In better news, Sauce Gardner (calf) makes his return to the field. https://t.co/zsYI3ozv2E
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 26, 2025
A first-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, Buckner was traded to the Colts in 2020. In 151 games with 146 snaps, he's logged 71.5 sacks and nine forced fumbles. This season, the former Oregon Duck only suited up for 10 contests.
Before the Colts placed Buckner on IR, the Jags were a 6.5-point favorite. Not having to deal with him will most definitely increase their chances of coming out on top.
Related: An NFL analyst reveals a fatal flaw that could come back to haunt the Jags
The Jaguars just got a break for the Colts game
It's never good to know that a player, even if he plays for a rival team, will miss signficant time because of injury. That said, the show must go on, and the Jaguars will no longer have to worry about dealing with DeForest Bucker. In fact, they're also dealing with injuries of their own in the line of scrimmage, so they just got a huge break.
Already, Jacksonville ruled out starting right guard Patrick Mekari for the game, and there's a strong chance center Robert Hainsey, who is listed as questionable, will also sit out the Indianapolis game.
Walker Little will probably fill in for Mekari at right guard, and Monheim could get the nod at center if Hainsey is unavailable.
Of course, even without DeForest Bucker, the Jaguars cannot afford to take the Colts lightly. After all, divisional matchups are always tough, and the last thing the Jags want is to lose a game because they understimated their oppoenent. The good news is that head coach Liam Coen won't let it happen.