The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) will go for three wins in three weeks when they travel to Jacksonville (0-4) this Sunday. After beating Chicago and Pittsburgh, the Colts are only one victory away from a winning record. But the winless Jaguars shouldn’t be underestimated, and definitely won’t make it easy for Indianapolis.
Colts fans are well aware that Jacksonville has been a cursed matchup for their team. The last time Indianapolis beat the Jaguars on the road was in 2014, when Andrew Luck was still under center and current QB Anthony Richardson was 12 years old. Here are a few things the Colts have to get right if they want to break the decade-long curse.
Attack the Jacksonville secondary early and often
The Jaguars’ defense has taken a huge step back this season, allowing 27.3 points and nearly 400 yards of total offense per game. While there’s plenty of blame to go around, their pass defense has been the biggest issue. Jacksonville has conceded the second-most passing yards in the league and has been shredded by Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud in back-to-back weeks.
Given the Jaguars’ ineffective pass rush (29th in QB pressures) and vulnerable secondary (zero interceptions this year), the Colts don’t need to do anything too complicated in the passing game to win. Keeping the play-calling simple and leaning on their dominant offensive line and in-form receiving corps is a recipe for success. Indianapolis should be able to do a lot of damage with their aerial attack, whether Richardson or Joe Flacco starts, which will be needed if star running back Jonathan Taylor misses the game due to injury.
Avoid allowing explosive plays on the ground or through the air
Points have been scarce for Jacksonville, which has yet to score over 20 in a game this year. A dysfunctional passing attack, combined with underutilized running backs, has crippled the Jaguars’ offense. But even a bad offense can move the ball down the field and put points on the board if they produce enough big plays.
This has been an area of concern for the Colts, who have struggled to contain deep throws and long runs all season. Regardless of their offensive troubles, Jacksonville still has some dangerous weapons around QB Trevor Lawrence: Travis Etienne Jr., Tank Bigsby, Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk, and Gabe Davis. Indianapolis has to avoid mistakes in tackling and coverage, and force Jacksonville to beat them rather than hurt themselves with defensive lapses.
Start fast and keep the foot on the gas
The Colts can’t afford to not take the Jaguars seriously. Don’t let the stack of losses fool you — Jacksonville is better than what their record suggests. So far, they’ve faced three playoff-caliber teams (Houston, Buffalo, and Miami with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa) and lost three times by a single possession. The Jaguars will be motivated to win their first game of the year, beat a division rival, and prove that the league is underrating them.
The mental battle in Jacksonville will be key, and the Colts can gain an edge by taking an early lead and never letting the Jaguars back into the game. Indianapolis has had a tough time building and extending leads but, if they can pull it off, the Colts can put the pressure on Jacksonville and take the Duval crowd out of the picture. This may be Indianapolis’ best shot at a road win over the Jaguars in years.