Jaguars vs. Colts: Full Indianapolis Game Preview
Great performance or not, the Week 3's fourth-quarter comeback and subsequent win against the Tennessee Titans could not have come at a more important time for the Indianapolis Colts.
It didn’t look good for most of the game, and Andrew Luck still doesn’t look like the same quarterback he has been since joining the league in 2012, but at this point it doesn’t really matter. Indianapolis just needed a win to get its season going, and the team did so against the Titans.
Now the second of three straight AFC South opponents is the target for Week 4, with the Jacksonville Jaguars coming north to Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Colts will try to secure their first home victory of the year.
Have the Colts really turned things around with the close win against the Titans, or will Week 4 be just another poor performance for a team with high expectations? Let’s take a look at this week’s matchup.
Viewing Info
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: Sunday, Oct. 4
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Week 3 Results and Recap
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Team | Results |
Indianapolis Colts | 1-2 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-2 |
1-2 | |
Tennessee Titans | 1-2 |
The AFC South looks kind of snug this way, doesn’t it? Of course, it also looks to be on the verge of becoming last year’s NFC South, one of the worst divisions in the history of the NFL. That said, it’s only Week 3, and with division matchups well underway there should be some separation sooner rather than later.
Last week, the Colts survived a brutal performance through three quarters against the Tennessee Titans, surviving for their first win of the season because of Andrew Luck’s inexplicable heroics in late-game situations.
Trailing 27-14 heading into the fourth quarter, the Colts needed a miracle and a pair of touchdowns through the air from Luck, with Frank Gore’s second score of the day providing the boost the team needed to get back into the win column for the first time this year.
It was far from their best game—Luck looked mortal once again, the cornerbacks continue to struggle and the offensive line cannot seem to pick up a single blitz—but a win was what the Colts needed, and they got one in Tennessee.
A visit from Jacksonville could give Indianapolis its 15th consecutive win against AFC South opponents and put them back in the driver’s seat atop the division at this early stage of the season.
News and Notes
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Andrew Luck is Day-to-Day
It hasn’t been the best start to the season for Andrew Luck, who has played far below the bar he set over his first three years in the league. Being limited in practice due to injury for the first time in his career is also a worrying sign for Colts fans, who have enough to stress about this season.
But according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com, Luck has said he expects to play Sunday against the Jaguars despite the limitations in practice.
"It didn’t feel as good as I would have liked it to after the game [Sunday]," Luck explained. "Take it day by day. I expect to play. Hope to know more [Thursday]."
An injury to Luck would be detrimental to the Colts season, but it appears that the quarterback will be fine and ready to try to secure the team’s second win of the year against the Jaguars.
Pat McAfee Named Punter of the Week
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Pat McAfee was named last week's Punter of the Week, per ESPN.com's Mike Wells. He is a Pro Bowler and is putting together a huge season with his typical performances.
Even if all the special teams attention is going to Adam Vinatieri and his struggles so far, McAfee has been the model of consistency and goes out every week to do his job—and does it well.
But last week, McAfee decided to spice things up a little bit. A fake punt in the third quarter against the Titans on which the punter gained 18 yards was one of the game’s more entertaining plays, and it turns out it wasn’t the coach's idea, per Josh Wilson of Stampede Blue:
"This was a situational thing. If I happen to get a snap that brings me out of the pocket a little bit and I see that the edge is wide open, I kinda got the green light. And that’s talked about probably once in training camp, but if that situation ever pops up, you know you’d better go ahead and get it. But if I don’t get it there, I’m probably walking back to a punch in the face from Coach Pagano and Tom McMahon, our special teams coach. Very happy we got it; picked up some momentum there. Wish we could have done something with it, but that’s just situational ball where, we have such good coaches here.
"
Nothing came from the conversion in the end, but it was a nice play to add to McAfee's highlight reel as he continues to be a steady hand for the Colts.
Andre Johnson Off to a Rough Start
The Colts brought in a pair of veteran weapons during the offseason in the hopes they would help push the offense over the top and into the Super Bowl. While Frank Gore has finally started to look like the player the Colts wanted, it has been a tough time for wide receiver Andre Johnson so far.
With just seven catches for 51 yards, the future Hall of Famer has yet to find a role in the Colts offense and has seemingly fallen behind Donte Moncrief, and possibly Phillip Dorsett, in the receivers' room. But Johnson isn’t worried; he just wants to help the team win, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com:
"In coming to this team, I knew that we had a lot of guys here that can make plays. You just have to wait for your time. Your time will come. I’ve had my fair share of being the No. 1 guy, catching eight or nine balls a game. My biggest reason for coming here was to come in and help as much as I can do to win games.
"
Having spent his entire career with the Texans, team successes have been few and far between for Johnson, and the Colts looked like the best chance for him in that regard. But with attention spans being short in the NFL, he will need to find his footing soon or risk falling too far behind the rest of the receivers in Indianapolis.
Latest Injury News
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Player | Position | Injury | Status |
Dwayne Allen | TE | Ankle | DNP |
Trent Cole | LB | Knee | DNP |
Vontae Davis | CB | Rest | DNP |
Andre Johnson | WR | Rest | DNP |
Robert Mathis | LB | Rest | DNP |
Tyler Varga | RB | Concussion | DNP |
Darius Butler | CB | Hip | Limited |
Andrew Luck | QB | Shoulder | Limited |
Josh Robinson | RB | Back | Limited |
Hugh Thornton | OG | Knee | Limited |
Greg Toler | CB | Neck | Limited |
All injury updates via Colts.com.
Before everyone freaks out about Luck being limited in practice, let’s all take a step back, breath for a second and, as reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers would say, R-E-L-A-X. Yes, the team's most important player was limited in Wednesday’s practice, but both head coach Chuck Pagano and Luck himself have said it is precautionary.
Even if this is the first time in his career that he has missed practice time because of an injury, odds are Luck is going to play and order will be restored to the AFC South.
Aside from Luck, the three biggest names on the injury report will all play Sunday, with Vontae Davis, Andre Johnson and Robert Mathis all taking a day of rest Wednesday.
Dwayne Allen remains out with an ankle injury, although he did say earlier this week that he hopes to play against Jacksonville. It shouldn’t have too big of an impact whether or not he misses the contest, with Coby Fleener doing a decent job filling in as the starter against Tennessee.
The top two non-Davis corners were both limited in practice, with Butler trying to get back from a hip injury and Toler still dealing with neck problems. Of the two, Toler is the furthest from returning, having yet to be cleared for contact, so don’t expect to see him for a little while longer.
Perhaps the most worrying injury, though, is to Trent Cole. Indianapolis failed to get any sort of a pass rush going for nearly three quarters against the Titans, and another week without Cole won’t help that cause. Marcus Mariota is slightly more threatening as both a runner and passer than Blake Bortles, but someone needs to step up defensively and get pressure on the quarterback if the Colts want to avoid another upset.
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Key Matchups
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Colts Cornerbacks vs. Jaguars Wide Receivers
The Jaguars receiving duo of Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson, or how they will be henceforth known as, The Allens, are actually a lot better than people give them credit for. A lot like the Jacksonville team as a whole, they don’t draw attention like a lot of other receiving corps because of the team they are on and the fact that they are both very young.
Even if Greg Toler and Darius Butler return from injury this week—both were limited in practice Wednesday—the Jaguars will have an advantage in a matchup with at least one of the corners, with Vontae Davis shutting down his typical No. 1 receiver.
Whoever gets the call for the Colts—Toler, Butler or Jalil Brown—they will be tasked with shutting down one of The Allens (likely Hurns) in a matchup that could decide the outcome of the game.
Andrew Luck vs. Himself (And the Entire Jaguars Defense)
Last week was better for Luck, but there wasn’t getting much worse after his performances in Weeks 1 and 2. He did lead the team on another fourth-quarter comeback against the Titans, but it has to be said that he still made some questionable decisions throughout. Were it not for a number of outstanding plays by his receivers, the Colts likely would have lost the game.
Technically listed at day-to-day, the odds of Luck missing the game against Jacksonville are pretty slim, and if he does play, the superstar quarterback will be called upon to break out of whatever funk has been ailing him so far this season.
The Jags just got done being torched by New England signal-caller Tom Brady, and Luck has the ability to put up similarly gaudy numbers. It remains to be seen if he can return to form, though, or if he will struggle through another turnover-filled outing.
Matchup X-Factor
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Colts X-Factor of the Week: RB Frank Gore
It took three weeks, but it feels like Frank Gore has finally started to look like the player the Colts hoped he would be when they brought him this offseason. Against the Titans, the former San Francisco 49er carried the ball 14 times for 86 yards and two scores.
The performance was pretty run of the mill for what he was doing with San Francisco, but after back-to-back games of less than four yards per carry and no scores, it was about time Gore found his footing, and it came at just the right time for the Colts.
Andrew Luck continues to struggle, which you can’t expect will last much longer, but if things don’t change this week it will again be Gore who sees the bulk of the workload. He will also have another easy defense to go against.
Although the New York Jets are ranked first in run defense DVOA, per Football Outsiders, the Titans are 24th in the league and the Buffalo Bills are 30th. The Jaguars are a slight improvement on those two opponents, but the 21st-ranked run defense shouldn’t scare anybody. Gore could have another big day.
Last week’s win was huge, but this could be just as important for the team to continue building momentum as the season goes on. That win could very well hinge on how Gore performs.
Prediction: Colts 24, Jaguars 21
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Last week, the Colts got the most important thing they needed for the season: a win. Unfortunately, after looking awful in their opening two weeks of the season, things didn’t get much better despite the comeback. There are still lots of questions yet to be answered by the AFC South favorites.
In the past, there has been no one quite like the Jacksonville Jaguars to help other teams get their respective grooves back, but despite an abysmal showing last week and a running game that doesn’t scare anyone at this point, the Jags are on the up and up.
Blake Bortles remains competent, The Allens could quite easily take advantage of the weak Colts secondary and Indy’s issues against the blitz don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
This has all the makings of yet another upset. Jacksonville’s offense isn’t as bad as most believe, and until Andrew Luck figures out whatever is ailing him, it is going to be hard to get behind the Colts very often.
But in the end, the winning streak against division opponents lives on for Indianapolis, who just squeak out a win on the shoulders of Frank Gore, who finally looks like he is coming into his own for the Colts.
Prediction Colts 24, Jaguars 21
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