Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Colts' Week 12 Contest with Jaguars

The Indianapolis Colts are not ready to win a Super Bowl.

There. Now that's out of the way.

The New England Patriots and the "where did that come from" performance of the year from Pats running back Jonas Gray sent a resounding message in Sunday's prime-time matchup. That message is one that will be hard for fans of Indy to forget any time soon.

Yes, they beat down every bad team they play.

Yes, they pile up stats against sub-par competition.

No, they cannot beat a playoff team. Literally, not one.

The defense has given up 98 points in their last three outings—albeit some of them to the New York Giants were in garbage time—and are suddenly looking like the same old "D" that has been around for as long as most fans can likely remember.

Of course, with nothing but matchups against mediocre competition from here on out, minus a showdown with the Dallas Cowboys, the Colts will continue to compile gaudy stats on offense and shut down opposing offensive units who hardly belong in the league.

Nevertheless, Indy will take the field every week and will have to win certain battles to guarantee its record stays as unblemished as possible. Currently sitting at 6-4, finishing at 11-5 for the third consecutive year looks like the most likely outcome.

Here's what it needs to do this week to take care of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Trent Richardson vs. Jaguars D-line

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

This isn't so much a matchup that the Colts need to win in order to beat Jags. Instead, it's important for the Colts' de facto starting running back to get it together against a terrible run defense so that he has some confidence when the playoffs come into picture.

Richardson has been his typical, bumbling self this season, averaging a putrid 3.4 yards per carry and amassing less than 600 total yards. He also boasts a not-so-healthy two total touchdowns, the same number of fumbles that he's managed.

But he's all the Colts have.

Unless Dan Herron is the future starting running back of a playoff team—and maybe he should be—then Richardson is as good as it gets this year. He's been decent protecting Andrew Luck and that might be all Colts' fans can hope for at this point.

Colts linebackers vs. Denard Robinson

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

One out of approximately one consistent performers on the Jags offense—after Allen Robinson's placement on IR, per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com—Robinson figures to get a healthy dose of touches against a defense that just got blasted open wider than floodgates ever dreamed of.

The Jags won't have a scheme as successful as the Pats because, well, you know they're not as good. That won't stop them from trying to mimic the offense that has laid waste to the Colts' defense, scoring eight rushing touchdowns in their last two meetings with Indy.

It hurts just to write it.

The biggest problem was primarily tackling. The Patriots offensive line did a fantastic job keeping the Colts off Gray as long as can be expected.

When the Colts linebackers did finally get a chance at Gray at or behind the line of scrimmage, they whiffed every time.

If Indy is going to recover from the loss and play competitive football into the playoffs, it has to be more physical in stopping runners before they gain chunks of yardage.

Vontae Davis and Greg Toler vs. Cecil Shorts III and Allen Hurns

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Blake Bortles hasn't been great this season, but he hasn't been that one guy either, and that's an undeniable plus from the Jaguars perspective.

Chad Gabbert? Blaine Henne? Something like that.

Unfortunately for the Jags, their most consistent wide receiver was placed on IR this week with a broken foot. That opens the door for Shorts and Hurns to reassert themselves as the starting receivers on this team. It also grants rookie receiver Marqise Lee yet another chance to make an impact on the offense.

Do Davis and Toler really need to play their best game for the Colts to win? Probably not.

But after last week, the fans will want a no-holds-barred, guns-blazing assault on the Jaguars in every phase of the game.