AFC South Shift: Jaguars Take the Lead as Colts Stumble Against Texans

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The AFC South experienced a dramatic shift on Sunday, as the Jacksonville Jaguars secured a dominant victory while the Indianapolis Colts suffered a crucial home loss. These results have created a three-way logjam at the top of the division with just five weeks remaining in the 2025 NFL season.

Jaguars Seize Control with Clinical Victory

The Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4) asserted their dominance with a clinical 25-3 win over the reeling Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was efficient, avoiding turnovers and leading an offense that capitalized on the Titans mistakes. The Jaguars’ defense was stifling, holding the Titans to just three points and forcing two critical turnovers, including a fumble on a kickoff return that led directly to a touchdown. Jacksonville scored 15 unanswered points in the second quarter to break the game open and never looked back.

The victory not only kept the Jaguars firmly in the playoff picture but, thanks to the day’s other results, vaulted them into the AFC South lead by virtue of tiebreakers (specifically a better conference record) over the Colts.

Colts Suffer Crushing Home Defeat to Texans

In Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Colts (8-4) suffered their first home loss of the season, falling to the surging Houston Texans 20-16. The Colts’ league-best rushing attack, led by running back Jonathan Taylor, was contained by a tenacious Texans defense, and quarterback Daniel Jones struggled to connect with his receivers on key third and fourth downs.

The game was a tight, defensive battle that saw the lead change hands multiple times, but a late fourth-quarter touchdown by the Texans proved to be the difference. The loss dropped the Colts to 8-4 and snapped their hold on first place in the division, leaving the locker room with an urgent sense of needing to “get back on track,” according to coach Shane Steichen.

The New AFC South Standings

Rank	Team	Record	Status
1.	Jacksonville Jaguars	8-4	AFC South Leader (Tiebreaker)
2.	Indianapolis Colts	8-4	Wild Card Contender
3.	Houston Texans	7-5	Wild Card Contender
4.	Tennessee Titans	1-11	Eliminated

The AFC South is now the most tightly contested division in the league, with the top three teams all within one game of each other. The ultimate prize will be decided in the next two weeks:

Week 14: The Jaguars and Colts will meet for the first of their two crucial head-to-head matchups, a game that will likely determine who controls the path to the division title.
Texans Threat: The Texans, now 7-5, have suddenly put themselves squarely in the Wild Card race and remain a very real threat to win the division should either the Colts or Jaguars stumble.

The AFC South race is officially going down to the wire.