Trevor Lawrence and AFC South-leading Jaguars seek season sweep of skidding Colts

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen noticed the potential in his team during training camp.

The rookie coach saw players embracing his physical practices and the daily demand to play hard, fast and well, and thought it was a good sign. Five months later, Coen and the playoff-bound Jags are on cusp of reaping multiple rewards.

The Jags enter Week 16 on a six-game winning streak and with a one-game lead over Houston in the AFC South. They're in position to win the division for the first time since 2022, and they have a shot at capturing the conference's top seed.

Their immediate goal: beating the Indianapolis Colts for the second time this month to complete the fourth season sweep in the series.

“We’ve won the last X amount of games in a row and that’s fun, but they continuously want to try to get better,” Coen said. “The guys aren’t just kind of getting through the day. I think the most fun part is when we’re here, when we’re in the building together, they are present and they’re being where their feet are. That’s all you can really ask. You want people, you want the staff, the players, the coaches, to want to come back in the building every day.”

How surprising have the Jags (11-4) been this season?

Beating the Colts on Sunday would give Jacksonville a 6-2 road mark and its first 12-win season since 2005. The Jags had their share of adversity this season, losing their only draft pick of the first two rounds — two-way, Heisman Trophy-winning star Travis Hunter — to a season-ending right knee injury in late October.

Indy's second-half collapse has been stunning, too.

The Colts (8-7) have lost five straight and six of seven since taking a large division lead and moving into contention for the AFC's top seed. Indy made a splashy trade-deadline deal to acquire two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, shoring up an injury-depleted secondary.

But Gardner suffered a strained calf early in his third game with Indy and has missed the last three, although he's expected to return this weekend. Pro Bowl cornerback Charvarius Ward is back on injured reserve with his second concussion of the season.

The result: Indy allowed Brock Purdy to throw a career-high five touchdown passes in Monday night's loss to San Francisco.

Next up is a surging Trevor Lawrence, who has thrown for at least 225 yards and two TDs in each of his last three games, and a team motivated to improve its postseason position.

Indy's season took a dire turn when quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon, prompting the desperation signing of 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who ended a five-year retirement. Rivers has played well under the circumstances, but the Colts have lost both of his starts.

“What I’ve seemed to gather just from the locker room — obviously, I haven’t been here long — is we need to just win a football game,” Rivers said. “I think keep it as simple as that. We get an opportunity. The opportunities are dwindling. Go out and execute and put a complete game together in all phases and win a game.”

Jacksonville placed cornerback Jourdan Lewis on season-ending injured reserve this week because of a foot injury that requires surgery, leaving the Jags' secondary depleted. Cornerbacks Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones and Greg Newsome II will need to carry a heavier load moving forward.

“Always hard when you lose a leader, elite communicator, guy that brings energy and focus and playmaking to our defense,” Coen said. “That’s always hard. But he’s handled it like a pro. He’s been extremely confident with the guys around him, continuing to try to pour into them as much as possible.”

Indy's season started to unravel when Jones — dubbed “Indiana Jones” during the Colts' hot start — injured his lower left leg in mid-November. Things really went awry, though, the last time these teams met. Jones tore his right Achilles tendon against the Jaguars. His replacement, rookie Riley Leonard, showed up the next day at team headquarters with an injured knee.

That's when coach Shane Steichen reached out to Rivers, a Hall of Fame semifinalist and a grandfather who had been coaching high school football in his native Alabama. Rivers remains stuck on 134 career wins, and Sunday's game could be his home finale — again.

And he'll be rooting for the only other team he's played for, the Los Angeles Chargers, who play the Texans on Saturday night.

“That will be an easy one to pull for, right?” Rivers said. “Pulling for the Chargers would be an easy one to pull for. So, you feel like you’re pulling for them, you’re helping them out a little bit.”

Lawrence needs 343 yards passing to pass Blake Bortles (17,646) and move into second on the franchise’s career list behind Mark Brunell (25,698).

Running back Travis Etienne needs two TDs to surpass tight end Marcedes Lewis (33) for fifth in team history. Etienne is 1 yard shy of reaching 1,000 yards rushing for the third time in four seasons.

AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a touchdown pass against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo's James Cook reflected on his offseason contract dispute with pride, a sense of unfinished business and a nod to Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley.

Though the Bills' fourth-year running back might already be outperforming the four-year, $46 million contract extension he signed in August following a week-long hold-in, the NFL’s rushing leader enters Week 17 feeling vindicated for banking on himself.

“You got to do what you got to do. You need to take care of your family, and that’s what I did,” Cook said Friday, referring to his contract dispute that included him skipping all of the team’s spring voluntary practices.

At the same time, Cook thinks he has more to prove.

“The job’s not even finished," he said. "So just keep going.”

With a career-best 1,532 yards rushing, Cook has a 43-yard lead over the Colts' Jonathan Taylor in what stands as a two-way race for the rushing title.

What’s fitting for Cook this weekend as the Bills (11-4) prepare to host the Eagles (10-5) on Sunday is him owing his on- and off-field achievements to Barkley. If not for the Philadelphia running back raising the payroll bar for all players at his position, Cook figured he might still be spinning his wheels while seeking a pay raise.

“He set the standard. He set the mark,” Cook said of Barkley turning his league-leading 2,005 yards rushing last year into a two-year contract $41.2 million extension that made him the NFL’s first running back to average more than $20 million a season.

“Last year, he set the rushing title," Cook added. "And I’m just trying to replicate it.”

Two of the NFL’s premier running backs will square off in expected sloppy conditions, with the forecast calling for a wintery mix of snow and rain Sunday.

In Buffalo, Cook has scored 12 touchdowns and topped 100 yards nine times while taking the load off quarterback Josh Allen and contributing to the Bills reaching the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.

In Philadelphia, Barkley has found his footing and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles appear to have rediscovered their balanced offensive identity.

Barkley has topped 100 yards twice in the past three games after doing so just once in the first 12. The Eagles have won two in a row and are coming off a 29-18 win over Washington during which they became the first team to clinch consecutive NFC East titles since they did so over a four-year span from 2001-04.

Barkley said he “never lost faith” in the offense or coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was criticized for the Eagles' sluggish start.

“It’s always not going to be pretty. The stat line isn’t always going to be 100 rushing yards,” he said. "When we get our running game going, we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”

Barkley noted he exchanged messages on Instagram with Cook this week.

“He's the leading rusher right now and I sent him a message, like, ‘Go finish,” he said. "He’s a guy who’s had a heck of a year. ... Super excited to go against him. Wish him the best, but not too well against our team.”

Barkley has an opportunity to thrive against a Bills defense that has allowed 150 or more yards rushing seven times this season, and will be missing three defensive tackles to injury.

The Bills, however, can counter with Cook, whose 12 TDs rushing are tied for fourth in the NFL.

Bills coach Sean McDermott praised Cook for emerging as a team leader and for how he didn’t get comfortable after signing a new contract.

“The week to week intensity is different than last year,” McDermott said. “He had some big games last year, but the look in his eye each week, the intensity that he shows up with, it’s really been influential on our whole football team.”

Jake Elliott used to be so automatic on field goals he earned the nickname Jake the Make. He has been off so much this season that he’s now looking over his shoulder.

Elliott missed both field goal attempts — three, if you include a 57-yard miss nullified by a penalty — last weekend, and is 17 of 24 overall this season.

“I’ve got to figure some stuff out,” Elliott said.

Sirianni continued to back Elliott by saying: “I have a ton of confidence in him and that he’ll rebound from whatever setbacks that he has.”

Sirianni might be from Jamestown, New York, some 75 miles south of Buffalo, but he grew up a fan of the Steelers rather than the Bills.

“It’s not any different for me,” he said of the homecoming, while noting he'll have plenty of friends and family in attendance.

As for who they'll be rooting for, Sirianni smiled and said: “They better root for us. ... If I see that they're wearing Bills stuff, we'll have words and they won't be invited the next time.”

Allen joked when asked what it would mean for Cook to win the NFL rushing title.

“It would mean a lot and then maybe no OTAs for anybody,” Allen said, noting Cook skipped all of Buffalo's voluntary spring sessions.

“You know, just get everyone fresh legs. No, I'm kidding," he added, before saying he believes his teammate is already underpaid. “Probably, yeah. But all he cares about is winning football games right now, and it's pretty awesome.”

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston, in Philadelphia, contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is brought down by Las Vegas Raiders outside linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley celebrates a first down against Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III celebrates his touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)