The Jaguars look for redemption against the Indianapolis Colts
By Kathy Clark
The Jacksonville Jaguars begin the second half of the season with a game against the Indianapolis Colts. This is a make or break game for the Jaguars.
The Jaguars can gain momentum for the rest of the season or join the bottom feeders looking up at the best teams. After a bye week and changes made in the team’s preparation, fans will see if Jacksonville can turn things around.
Jacksonville has had a disappointing start to the season but the time for looking back is over. Moreover, the Colts are a division opponent and a victory would improve our record and make the season more palatable.
Both teams are currently 3-5. Even so, the Colts are coming off a two-game winning streak and Jacksonville has a four-game losing streak. The good news is that the two recent Colt wins were against the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills.
The Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Aziz wrote for Stampede Blue, “Andrew Luck had his issues at the start of the season, which I expected, but in the last couple weeks he’s been as good as anyone in the NFL.”
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Further positive comments are: the running game is coming together, the tight ends are the best in the NFL, the offensive line is holding its own and the edge rushers on defense are very good. Negatives include the wide receivers and the inexperienced secondary.
Comparing the Jaguars and Colts – The Jaguars and the Colts have similar schedules the remainder of the season and are similar teams in some ways.
Blake Bortles has 2021 total passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 8 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 81.4. In contrast, Luck has 2187 total passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 96.2. T.J. Yeldon is Jacksonville’s top runner with 334 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Colts top runner is Marlon Mack with 381 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jaguars wide receiver Dede Westbrook has caught passes for 435 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Tight end Eric Ebron is the Colts top receiver with 394 yards and 7 touchdowns. Last, the Jaguars defense has 19 sacks and 4 interceptions. Whereas the Colts have 21 sacks and 9 interceptions.
Discussion – The two teams have many similarities. Both have dealt with numerous injuries and needed the bye week to heal. Statistically, the teams are similar with the Colts slightly ahead. Each team has had a less than stellar first half of the season.
Also, both teams are eager for a victory to turn the season around. The Colts writers see positive times ahead as Luck becomes their franchise quarterback again.
Many writers who cover Jacksonville are hoping the return of Leonard Fournette will give this team a shot in the arm and the running game will flourish.
Next. Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette returns to practice. dark
Without a doubt, this will be a good game. We have two evenly matched teams hungry for a victory to jump-start a disappointing season.