The Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking to finish the season strong when they face the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the game. While they're relatively healthy for the divisional bout, the Jags will be without defensive end Josh Hines-Allen.
One day before the finale, the team announced via their PR account on Twitter that they'd downgraded Hines-Allen to out. He didn't make the trip to Indianapolis and won't play due to personal reasons. He didn't appear in the Week 18 injury report, so you can rule out injuries or illness as a reason for his absence.
We have elevated DE Joe Gaziano from the practice squad to the active roster for tomorrow’s game via standard elevation.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 4, 2025
Additionally, DE Josh Hines-Allen will not travel to Indianapolis (personal) and has been downgraded to out.@Shift4 | #JAXvsIND
Heading into the game, Hines-Allen had 8.0 sacks and was looking to log 10 for the year. He hadn't missed a game this season and played 73 percent of the team's total snaps on defense. On the other hand, partner in crime Travon Walker has 9.5 quarterback takedowns, so he'll have a chance to reach the 10-sack mark for the second straight year.
On a related note, the Jags also announced that they promoted Joe Gaziano from the practice squad to the active roster via standard elevation.
Gaziano signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He spent three years in South Carolina and spent the 2023 season with the Atlanta Falcons. The Northwestern product joined the Jags in the offseason and has been on and off their practice squad. He's suited up for two games and played 20 total defensive snaps during his stint in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars will miss Josh Hines-Allen but can beat the Colts without him
All things considered, promoting Joe Gaziano makes sense with Josh Hines-Allen missing the game. That said, Arik Armstead will most likely fill in for Hines-Allen. He's mostly lined up on the edge this season, so he'll probably see an uptick in playing time against the Indianapolis Colts. The former Oregon Duck has played all 16 games, registering two sacks and 24 total tackles.
While not having Hines-Allen for the finale stings, the Jaguars can beat the Colts without him. Working in their favor is that left tackle Walker Little and (maybe) linebacker Ventrell Miller will be their only players who won't suit up against Indy.
Granted, Jacksonville is a five-point underdog for the finale, but their division foe is coming off an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants in Week 17, and they appear to lack a clear direction. Add the fact that quarterback Anthony Richardson will sit out the game and a struggling Joe Flacco will fill in for him, and it's easy to see the Jags pulling off the upset.
Ultimately, it won't matter if the Jaguars win or lose in the finale. After all, they've already been eliminated from the playoffs, and they're expected to clean house after the season ends. However, the prospect of sweeping the Colts in 2024 — they beat them earlier this year — could be too good to pass up, so they'll probably be incentivized to finish on a high note.