According to PFF, Indianapolis Colts wideout Alec Pierce vs. Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones is among its Top 10, Week 17 player matchups to watch league-wide:
Indianapolis Colts WR Alec Pierce vs. Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jarrian Jones
When the Colts and Jaguars met
three weeks ago, the contest included major ripple effects in the AFC South. Now, their second showdown is far less intriguing — with Jacksonville rolling and Indianapolis sliding. Still, Pierce vs. Jones is a good clash on the perimeter.
Pierce has elevated his game in 2025, becoming a complete receiver — and one of the better in the league at that. His 82.3 PFF receiving grade is 12th among qualifiers, and his 2.09 yards per route run are 13th. Pierce quieted concerns about his chemistry with Philip Rivers on Monday night, hauling in four passes for 86 yards and two scores — good for a 79.0 receiving mark.
The Jaguars’ defense has been one of the best in the league in the last few weeks, featuring tremendous players at all three levels. Jones may not be the most recognized, but his play has done the talking. Since essentially becoming a full-time player in Week 9, Jones’ 83.5 PFF coverage grade is the fifth-best at corner, permitting just 190 yards in that span.
Pierce thrives on the deep ball, sporting a career 17.4-yard average depth of target. Meanwhile, Jones has yielded just two completions of 20 yards downfield or longer all season. Pierce will hope to do better than in Week 14, when Jones didn’t let him get open across their three matchups.
With a 44-year-old Philip Rivers featuring significantly diminished arm strength behind center, one would’ve reasonably though that one of the league’s most dangerous deep threats, Alec Pierce, would’ve seen his receiving production much more limited than normal, especially compared to Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs.
That wasn’t the case last Monday night on primetime, as the 4th-year wideout led the Colts in receiving yards (86) and touchdown receptions (2)—as clearly a new preferred go-to target for the now unretired, longtime NFL veteran quarterback Rivers. Pierce’s elite ability to high-point the football, control his body, and make highly contested catches is arguably the best in the NFL among his league contemporaries.
Pierce currently leads the Colts in total receiving yards (871), and his 20.3 yards per reception average is a league best right now—as “throw it downfield in Pierce’s vicinity, and he’ll catch it,” has seemed to routinely work for whoever is playing starting quarterback for the Colts this season.
Pierce is currently the Colts biggest and most explosive play threat at receiver, so they’ll need another strong outing from him to keep their increasingly slim late season playoff hopes alive—as they have to beat Jacksonville at home this week, the Houston Texans on the road a week later, and get some outside strength of schedule help.
