INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – They played it out, with passion again.

Desire and want-to were there again, too – but late-season themes remaining true to form weren't enough for a Jaguars victory in the 2024 regular-season finale.

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay's 38-yard field goal provided the winning points. When the Jaguars couldn't convert fourth-and-22 on the ensuing series, the result was a 26-23 overtime loss to the Colts in front of an announced 63,041 at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.

"Another one-score loss," Head Coach Doug Pederson said. "It's sort of fitting with the type of year we had to take it into overtime, get a little extra football and still lose by a score."

The loss marked the Jaguars' 10^th loss of the season by seven points or fewer.

"As a team, we have to learn," said Pederson, who said after the game he hopes to return and that he expects to find out this week if that will be the case. "We're learning the hard way, but we have to learn how to win these close games like this because this is what the league is about – and we will.

"But it was kind of a fitting way to end our season."

Quarterback Mac Jones' 20-yard completion to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on fourth-and-22 from the Jaguars 18 ended the game. The play came one play after linebacker Zaire Franklin sacked Jones for a 16-yard loss on third-and-6 from the Jaguars 34.

"A tough ending to a tough season," Jones called it. "I'm really proud of the guys and the coaches. They did a good job trying to finish when the season has sadly been over for a little bit of time here. We've been fighting and that's all you can ask for."

Center Mitch Morse called the game the epitome of the season.

"I thought guys battled," Morse said. "I thought guys fought today. There's so much of this season we want back. There are so many things we wish we could do differently. But there was never a lack of effort and there could have been early in the season.

"We didn't quit on each other. That's special."

Gay's 38-yard overtime field goal was the latest in a late-game field-goal exchange.

Jaguars kicker Cam Little's 53-yard field goal with 1:44 remaining in the fourth quarter tied it at 23-23 after Gay's 45-yard field goal gave the Colts a 23-20 lead with 3:52 remaining.

Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker sacked Colts quarterback Joe Flacco on third-and-3 from the 50-yard-line to with :22 remaining to force a punt – and to force overtime. Walker finished the season with 10.5 sacks.

Jones, starting at quarterback for the Jaguars for a seventh time in eight games for injured starter quarterback Trevor Lawrence, completed 20 of 32 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown with one interception – and his nine-yard pass to wide receiver Parker Washington tied the game 20-20 with 7:50 remaining.

The Jaguars (4-13) missed a chance for their first two-game winning streak since late November/early December 2023. They lost eight of their last 10 games, with the lone victories in that span against AFC South rival Tennessee (3-14).

The Jaguars also missed a chance to sweep the Colts (8-9) and finish with a winning division record for the third time in Pederson's three seasons. The Jaguars finished 3-3 in the South – 2-0 against the Houston Texans, 1-1 against the Colts and 0-2 against the Titans.

Sunday's game was the Jaguars' fifth consecutive game with no playoff ramifications for either team to end the 2024 season.

Flacco completed 23 of 40 passes for 264 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for 177 yards on 34 carries.

The Jaguars registered three sacks with no takeaways, with linebacker Devin Lloyd and cornerback Jarrian Jones each registering first-half sacks and Walker registering one late in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars forced a league-low (nine) takeaways this season with 34 sacks.

Step by Step: Breaking Down Jaguars Week 18

• Wide receiver Alec Pierce's 40-yard reception from Flacco capped a three-play, 70-yard drive on the game's first possession and gave the Colts a 7-0 lead with 13:50 remaining in the first quarter. Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive on the ensuing possession to tie the game 7-7 with 8:12 remaining in the first quarter; key play: Thomas' 17-yard reception from Jones for first-and-goal at the Colts 2-yard line.
• Little's 53-yard field goal with 14:17 remaining in the second quarter gave the Jaguars their first lead of the game, 10-7; Little's field goal came five plays after Jones sacked Flacco for no gain to give the Jaguars a first down at the Colts 48. Taylor's six-yard run capped the ensuing series and gave the Colts a 14-10 lead with 9:32 remaining in the second quarter, with Gay's 49-yard field goal with 3:22 remaining in the second quarter pushing the Indianapolis lead to 17-10. Little's 28-yard field goal with 1:25 remaining in the second quarter cut the lead to 17-13 and Gay's 36-yard field goal with :13 remaining in the second quarter pushed it to 20-13.
• Gay missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter, with neither team threatening seriously to score in the quarter aside from that drive.
• Washington's nine-yard touchdown reception that tied the game at 20-20 capped a 14-play, 84-yard drive.

Notable Game Moments

• Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen and left tackle Walker Little were among six inactive players for the Jaguars Sunday, with Hines-Allen not traveling to Indianapolis for personal reasons and Little missing a second consecutive game with an ankle injury. The four other Jaguars inactives Sunday: Linebacker Ventrell Miller (ankle), cornerback Ronald Darby, defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo and defensive tackle Tyler Lacy.

In-Game Injury Report

• Jaguars safety Andre Cisco sustained a groin injury during warmups Sunday and did not play.