The Indianapolis Colts have thrown and run their way to the top of the AFC South through the first 11 weeks of the season. Indy has the week off, but even if they played and lost, which would be rare this year, the team would still be in first place in the division. For now.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are not going away. Is quarterback Trevor Lawrence still nowhere near the player the Jags thought he was when they chose him first overall in 2021? Yep, but somehow Jacksonville continues to win despite elite QB play.
The Los Angeles Chargers, a team that was 7-3 entering Week 11, certainly learned that in Week 11. In the second half of a game that the Jags led 14-6 at halftime, LA simply couldn't stop Jacksonville from scoring touchdowns until the game was out of reach.
The Jacksonville Jaguars just put the Indianapolis Colts on notice
Who needs rookie Travis Hunter after all? Seemingly not the Jaguars. Hunter will miss the rest of the season, but Jacksonville didn't miss a beat without him. Instead, the Chargers were dominated in every way possible.
The Jaguars had nearly three times as many yards (finishing with 345 while LA had just 135), and the Chargers were only averaging 3 yards per play. LA wasn't turning the ball over, but Jacksonville didn't need them to. The Chargers' offense was helpless against an overpowering Jaguars defense.
The 35-6 Jacksonville Jaguars victory was every bit of a destruction of the Los Angeles Chargers as the score implies. The Jags are a good team, and they just let the Indianapolis Colts and NFL fans everywhere know it.
One of the biggest keys is that first-year head coach Liam Coen has his team believing they can be really good for the first time in forever by this late in a season. The Colts still have a two-game lead in the loss column, and they can put Jacksonville mostly away with a win when the teams meet in Week 14, but the game might not be easy.
To take the victory and maybe seal the AFC South, Indy is going to need another fast start offensively. The easiest way to diminish any hope an opponent has is to dominate early. But if the Jaguars get another win over Indianapolis in Jacksonville, a place the Colts have not won since 2014, then all proverbial bets are off, and the AFC South title might be a struggle until Week 18.