The Colts have lost two straight games to teams they should have beaten. Can they right the ship against Jacksonville? Or will the losing streak continue?
The Colts have a problem right now. Their problem is playing down to the level of their competition. It’s been happening all year long. The problem with that is if you play down to teams that aren’t as good as you too much, you’re going to lose too many games.
That’s where they sit two days before Jacksonville plays them in Lucas Oil Stadium. Injuries can be used as an excuse, but no amount of injuries can excuse what happened last week. Frank Reich needs to have his guys ready to go for this one from the start.
The good news is, Jacoby Brissett will start after missing last week with a knee injury. Getting their starting quarterback back should help the Colts move the ball with more consistency down the field. But they need to have long, sustained drives in this game.
Having those long drives will keep the Jaguars offense on the sidelines. Not that they are a super high-powered offense or anything, but keeping the other team away from the ball is the objective. Marlon Mack and the running game have to be heavily involved to achieve that goal.
Game predictions: Colts 20 Jaguars 17
I have been wrong the last couple of weeks about this team, but I can’t see them losing three games in a row. This team should come out fired up and ready to play. The problem is, they will still play to the talent level of Jacksonville, which is low. It will still be a close game.
Also this score is for three Colts touchdowns and one missed extra point. Adam Vinatieri is still the kicker so you know he’s going to miss at least one of those. But at least in this case it shouldn’t cost the Colts the game.
If the Colts don’t win this game, their season will quickly spiral out of control. It will soon be more about draft position than playoff seeding.