The Indianapolis Colts had to pivot to bringing Philip Rivers out of his living room couch, but could not stop a slide that has extended to a five-game losing streak. But trying to throw a wrench in the works for their divisional rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team did a wonderful job of it in the first half in Week 17.
Leading 10-7 going into the break, they were able to force Trevor Lawrence to throw an interception for the first time in over a month. But what made it even more remarkable was that they were doing it all without any meaningful contribution from one of their best offensive players, in Alec Pierce.
What Happened to Alec Pierce?
The fall from grace for the Colts has been nothing short of unbelievable. Starting 8-1, they seemed like legitimate world beaters with Daniel Jones looking like he’d gone through a career renaissance with the franchise.
As a result, they were willing to invest two first-round picks to bring in Sauce Gardner. Since then, it’s all gone awry for the franchise. Jones went down with a fractured fibula that compounded into an ACL injury, which ended his season.
Now, as they try to play spoiler against Jacksonville, a solid first half saw them come away with some major highlights. Pierce, though, was conspicuously absent throughout the period. While he was targeted two times, he did not add a single reception to his season-long tally.
Instead, he ended the period with complete zeroes across the scoreboard. While his lack of production hadn’t held them back in the first half, Indy would need more from him to keep control over a red-hot Jaguars squad.
MORE: 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Dante Moore Spells Geno Smith, Carnell Tate Blesses Big Apple
Despite the team’s fall-off over the second half of the year, particularly after the trade deadline, Pierce had been the one exception to that drop. Ranking at number 5 on PFSN’s WR Impact for the season, he was undeniably excellent for the Colts.
After three solid seasons to begin his career, he exploded for 871 yards and four touchdowns through just 13 games this year. Averaging a ridiculous 20.3 yards per reception, he’d emerged as one of the premier deep ball threats in the entire NFL.
Tallying 67 or more yards in 9 of his 13 outings, he remained a consistent weapon that head coach Shane Steichen was willing to utilize to his maximum advantage.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
