INDIANAPOLIS – A lot has happened since 2014.Not a single member of the Colts roster had yet made it to the NFL. Some of them were still in middle school.Andrew Luck had yet to miss an NFL start at quarterback in Indianapolis. Tom Brady was just a three-time Super Bowl winner. The Apple watch was a prototype that was yet to be sold. Donald Trump was a reality TV star.That’s how long it’s been since the Colts last won in Jacksonville.Indianapolis’ historically horrendous losing streak is and will continue to be a topic of conversation up until the Colts win in North Florida. The NFL has seen double-digit game losing streaks among active teams at a single venue just 50 times in league history, and no, the Colts aren’t anywhere close to approaching the unfortunate record owned by the Detroit Lions, who lost 23 straight regular season contests at Lambeau Field to the Packers from 1992-2014.But that’s what makes this one odder than most: From the start of the 2015 season until now, the Colts are nearly a .500 football team – with a regular season record of 86-89-1 and the 14th-best winning percentage over those 10-plus seasons, a .491 winning percentage. Typically, over the course of a lengthy road losing streak, you’d imagine a team that has been largely terrible over the last decade losing year in-and-out to a dominant divisional foe.But since the start of the 2015 season, the Jaguars have been the fourth-worst team in the league at 63-113, a .358 winning percentage. Over that span, the Colts have logged an 8-6 road record against the other seven worst teams in the NFL (the Jets, Giants, Browns, Bears, Raiders, Cardinals and Panthers).But at Jacksonville? 0-10 (including a “road” game in London) – a stat that defies all explanation, and one that when you ask about it, you either get an aloof answer about not thinking about it at all – “All I know is we play Jacksonville in Jacksonville this week, and we’re excited about the opportunity,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday – or an impassioned one that says one thing, but implies another.Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin was dismissive: “I think you guys talk about the streak enough for all of us. I don’t really know how relevant it is, to be honest. I understand it’s something to speak about, but I’m just thankful to give our fans something less to talk about after that Week 1 win. I guess we’ve got another one to (check off).”Earlier this year, the Colts’ 33-8 home win over Miami gave Indianapolis its first 1-0 start since 2013.Indianapolis’ losses to the Jaguars on the road have come in all sorts of forms – in the first game of the year and the last; in blowouts and shutouts; in games that had absolutely nothing riding on them, as well as ones where their playoff life hinged on a victory. For reference to the uninitiated: the Colts fell to the Jaguars in Week 1 of the 2020 season before Jacksonville went on to lose every single game the rest of the way … and that one doesn’t even crack the top 3 worst performances.Here is IndyStar’s ranking of the Colts’ worst losses on the road against the Jaguars since the start of the 2015 season:1. 2021: Colts’ playoff hopes dashed in inexcusable 26-11 lossColts record coming in: 9-7Jaguars record coming in: 2-14Colts end-of-season record: 9-8Jaguars end of season record: 3-14Spead: Colts -15Why it mattered: There may not be a worse loss in football than falling to a team that has been the worst in the league with one game to go while you have your playoff dreams on the line. But the Carson Wentz-led Colts completely fell apart on the final day of the regular season, falling behind 13-3 at halftime and failing to score a touchdown through the game’s first 55 minutes. Wentz was 17-for-29 passing with an interception and a fumble, as well as six sacks. It’s a loss that makes absolutely no sense.2. 2018: Colts shutout 6-0 in one of the team’s ugliest games in recent memoryColts record coming in: 6-5Jaguars record coming in: 3-8Colts end-of-season record: 10-6Jaguars end of season record: 5-11Spread: Colts -4Why it mattered: Five times, Frank Reich’s Colts had the ball in Jacksonville territory – including one drive that ended on the 1-yard-line – and somehow, some way, the offense came up empty. The Colts advanced the ball twice into opposing territory in the final five minutes, turning it over on downs on the Jaguars’ 28-yard-line and then running out time on the 25. The Colts would still make the playoffs – and even win a road Wild Card round game against Houston – but the loss would make the difference in winning and losing an AFC South title and getting to host a playoff game3. 2015: Colts’ 16-game AFC South winning streak snapped in 51-16 beatdownColts record coming in: 6-6Jaguars record coming in: 4-8Colts end-of-season record: 8-8Jaguars end of season record: 5-11Spread: Jaguars -1.5Why it mattered: The Colts led 13-3 with less than two minutes to go in the first half, thanks to a Robert Mathis fumble recovery in the end zone, and then disaster struck. Over the next 4:12, Indianapolis gave up fumble and punt return touchdowns, as well as an 80-yard strike through the air as part of a 48-point barrage by the Jaguars. Only an Adam Vinatieri field goal could break up the mess, including a 28-0 scoring streak for Jacksonville to close. The loss ended the Colts’ NFL-record 16-game division game winning streak, and it made the difference in what would’ve otherwise been another trip to the playoffs and an AFC South title.4. 2020: Colts fall, 27-20, in Week 1 as Jags’ only win of the seasonColts record coming in: 0-0Jaguars record coming in: 0-0Colts end-of-season record: 11-5Jaguars end of season record: 1-15Spread: Colts -7Why it mattered: This is one of those losses that only got worse as the season wore on, as the Jaguars just continued to lose and the divisional foes finished up with a 10-win difference by the end of the regular season. The Colts led 20-17 with less than six minutes to go before surrendering 10 points late. Indianapolis would finish the year tied for the best record in the AFC South, but lost the tiebreaker. They’d lose in the Wild Card round to the Bills, rather than having the opportunity to host the Ravens.5. 2022: Colts shutout 24-0 as season begins to go sidewaysColts record coming in: 0-0-1Jaguars record coming in: 0-1Colts end-of-season record: 4-12-1Jaguars end of season record: 9-8Spread: Colts -3Why it mattered: A debilitating start to an embarrassing season continued in Week 2, following a Week 1 tie to the Texans that included a missed 42-yard field goal in overtime that would’ve sealed a victory. The following week in Jacksonville, the Colts’ offense was listless, with Matt Ryan going 16-for-30 for 195 yards and three interceptions in the shutout. The Colts would go on to win three of their next four before the three-game skid that got Reich fired and began the brief Jeff Saturday saga.6. 2023: Colts bulldozed early in 37-20 blowoutColts record coming in: 3-2Jaguars record coming in: 3-2Colts end-of-season record: 9-8Jaguars end of season record: 9-8Spread: Jaguars -4.5Why it mattered: This was an under-the-radar weird one, where the Colts, despite finishing the year with an identical record to Jacksonville, fell behind 21-3 and 31-6 on the road and could never recover. Winning this one would’ve given the Colts a one-game lead over Houston going into the final game of the year against the Texans – but one Indianapolis still would’ve needed to win to ensure a playoff berth.7. 2024: Colts’ fierce comeback prove feeble in 37-34 last-second FG lossColts record coming in: 2-2Jaguars record coming in: 0-4Colts end-of-season record: 8-9Jaguars end of season record: 4-13Spread: Jaguars -3Why it mattered: Sitting on the doorstep of seeing its road losing streak to the Jaguars hit double-digits, the Colts gave up a 24-10 scoring stretch to trail 34-20 before storming back with two quick scores in the fourth quarter to tie it with under three minutes to go. But in a game that in some ways proved to be the epitome of ‘the curse,’ the Colts gave up a field goal with less than 20 seconds to go to lose by three.8. 2019: Colts give up 25-unanswered points in 38-20 loss to close rocky seasonColts record coming in: 7-8Jaguars record coming in: 5-10Colts end-of-season record: 7-9Jaguars end of season record: 6-10Spread: Colts -5Why it mattered: In the final game of the year for two teams who’d already kissed their postseason hopes goodbye, the Colts’ chances to end the season on a high note were squashed shortly before halftime, as the Jaguars began to mount a 25-point scoring barrage to close a game the home team once trailed 20-13.9. 2017: Colts fall behind early, lose 30-10 in Andrew Luck-less seasonColts record coming in: 3-8Jaguars record coming in: 7-4Colts end-of-season record: 4-12Jaguars end of season record: 10-6Spread: Jaguars -10Why it mattered: Of all the games the Colts have lost over the last decade, this one feels the most excusable. An Andrew Luck-less Colts team fell behind 24-3 early and was never really in this one against a playoff-bound Jacksonville squad.10. 2016: Colts comeback falls short in pseudo-road game in London, 30-27Colts record coming in: 1-2Jaguars record coming in: 0-3Colts end-of-season record: 8-8Jaguars end of season record: 3-13Spread: Colts -1Why it mattered: Does this one really count? These teams played in London in this matchup that technically counted as a Jaguars’ home game, and in falling behind 23-6 entering the fourth quarter to a Jacksonville team that would win just two more times all year, the Colts made it feel every bit like a North Florida-like loss.Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts road losses to Jaguars ranked
