A new chapter in this AFC South divisional rivalry begins on Sunday, when the new-look Indianapolis Colts (1-1) take on the rebuilt Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) in Lucas Oil Stadium. Both teams have new head coaches and young quarterbacks, and will take the field to get a step closer to the Houston Texans (2-0) in the division. The jaguars will be looking for their first win of the season, and the Colts will try to build a winning streak, before their bye in week four.
Maurice Jones-Drew has been a thorn in the side of Indianapolis since the Colts passed him up in the 2006 NFL Draft. That same season, Drew had a franchise-record 303 total yards as a rookie against the Colts. Drew averages over 107 rushing yards a game against the Colts, second only to Hall of Famer Curtis Martin in average yards against this franchise. Since 2006, Drew has had seven 100-yard rushing games against the Colts.
The Colts lost both games against the Jaguars last season, and have lost three of the last four meetings in the rivalry. The Colts have won 15 of 22 match-ups against Jacksonville, but both of these teams are totally different from what they have been historically. One thing to watch will be Jones-Drew. The Colts held Adrian Peterson in check last week, keeping him at bay with a longest rush of only six yards on the day. If Indianapolis can get ahead early, like they did against the Minnesota Vikings in week two, then they can try to take the ball out of Mojo’s hands and force second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert to air it out. If the Jaguars find themselves in a hole, then we could finally see this reloaded Colts defense key-off and dominate a team on the ropes.
Prediction – Colts 33, Jaguars 16