The 2023 NFL season began when the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football. The rest of the teams will play Sunday. For their opener, the Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the Indianapolis Colts.
As of this writing, the Jags are a 5-point favorite for Week 1. They won't be able to cruise control their way into a win though. Although an inexperienced Anthony Richardson will start at quarterback for the Colts, their defense should be able to keep them in the game.
That said, Jacksonville has enough talent on both sides of the ball to counter whatever Indy has prepared for them. With that in mind, here are five predictions for the season opener.
No. 5 Jaguars vs. Colts prediction: The Jaguars secondary will snag 2 INT
Contrary to what Ryan Raynolds of The 33rd Team recently said when putting together his power ranking for Week 1, the Jaguars' secondary isn't suspect or a weakness. While it would be hyperbole to call the group elite, they have lots of depth and talent entering Sunday's matchup. Darious Williams and Tyson Campbell, their starting corners in the boundaries to end the 2022 season are back. The same is true for nickel Tre Herndon.
On top of that, Andrew Wingard and Rayshawn Jenkins return at safety. The group that was responsible for 27 turnovers last year — good for fifth in the league — and the team's brass didn't make many significant changes to it in the offseason.
It wouldn't be shocking to see the Jaguars' defensive backfield start the season with a bang and register two interceptions against the subpar Colts' offense.
No. 4 Jaguars vs. Colts predictions: Christian Kirk and Calvin Ridley will have 100 yds, 1 TD each
The one big change the Jaguars made to the offense was the acquisition of Calvin Ridley via trade last year. Although the Alabama product was still serving a suspension for betting on football games at the time, he was reinstated in March. From the moment he joined the Jags, he vowed to become the same great player he was early in his NFL career.
So far, signs point toward Ridley having a great year. He'll now be part of an offense that includes fellow receivers Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and tight end Evan Engram. Simply, the Colts don't have enough talent in their secondary to counter the Jaguars' potent passing game. Expect both Ridley and Kirk to finish with 100 receiving yards and one touchdown each.
No. 3 Jaguars vs. Colts predictions: Josh Allen and Travon Walker will have a sack each
The Jaguars' biggest question/glaring weakness entering the regular season is their pass rush rotation or lack thereof. Both Travon Walker and Josh Allen are expected to improve in 2023 but even if they do, their depth behind them isn't great.
The coaching staff is still high on 2020 first-round pick K'Lavon Chaisson but nothing he's done suggests he'll put it all together in Year 4. Similarly, rookie Yasir Abdullah has flashed but is a work in progress.
Nevertheless, Walker and Allen are aware they're under pressure to deliver and they'll come through against the Colts, registering a sack each. The cherry on the top will be the recently named captain Roy Robertson-Harris, who will also log a quarterback takedown.
No. 2 Jaguars vs. Colts predictions: Trevor Lawrence will throw 3 TDs no INT
Trevor Lawrence is surging in power ranking heading into the opener and rightfully so. Although he was somewhat inconsistent early in the 2022 season, he hit his stride in the second half and went on to play like a top-10 quarterback.
Now, Lawrence will have the chance to solidify his place as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And he can take a step in the right direction by torching the Colts' secondary and finding the end zone three times.
It's true that Indy's defensive front could be a headache but Lawrence will remain cool and won't try to be the hero. Instead, he'll show caution and take what the secondary gives. Having said that, he'll wait for his chances and make the most of them once he gets them.
No. 1 Jaguars vs. Colts predictions: Jacksonville will only allow 6 pts.
Anthony Richardson is a promising talent with immense upside. On the other hand, he's still developing and has a long way to go before he can carry the Colts on his shoulders. Still, Indianapolis felt so good about him that he was named the starter over a familiar face in Gardner Minshew.
Richardson may eventually become the player the Colts expected but the Jaguars will make sure his first NFL is one he'll never forget and not for a good reason. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell will throw the whole playbook at him and will try to confuse him and frustrate him as much as possible.
This will in turn lead to an underwhelming performance by Richardson. Add the lack of star power at wide receiver and running back, and Indy will only manage to score six points against Jacksonville in the opener.