What To Watch For: Jags @ Colts

The Jaguars travel to Indy to take on their division rival, the Colts. Here's what to watch for!

By
​Jordan de Lugo

Will Andrew Luck play? Andrew Luck has been held out of practice all week and is officially listed as questionable. This designation means it is 50/50 on whether or not he will play. Jags’ fans every where are hoping he isn't able to suit up, but even if he does, it’s much better to play against an injured Andrew Luck, then to play against him healthy. If Luck doesn't play then the Jaguars will be facing a 40 year old, Matt Hasselbeck, who even when he was young had limited mobility. Either way this injury situation should make the game a bit more winnable for a Jaguars’ team that is fighting to stay in first place in their Division.

Can the Jaguars running game rebound? Indy is giving up 112 yards a game on the ground, which puts them in the bottom half of the league. The Jaguars are coming off a game in which their starting running back, T.J. Yeldon, was only able to rush for 33 yards. If the Jaguars’ running game can get going they will have a shot at slowing down the game and controlling the clock, a facet of the game that they need to improve upon as their defense was gassed last week to the tune of 51 points.

​Will the Jags’ pass defense finally slow a team down? The Jaguars defense has been riddled with injuries, but that is no excuse for their performances the last two weeks. They have given up over 700 yards passing in the last two weeks alone. They desperately need to slow down this Colts’ passing attack that features one of the most dangerous receivers in the league, T.Y. Hilton. The Jaguars will be without their most consistent defensive back so far this season, Sergio Brown, but other than that, they will be at full strength in the secondary. Look for John Cyprien and James Sample to make some big hits — and maybe, just maybe, the Jaguars defense (who only has one interception this season) can pick the ball off against Andrew Luck, who has a league high of 7 interceptions so far this season.

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This should be a competitive match up, but with an injured Andrew Luck, or Matt Hasselbeck, who was playing in the NFL when T.Y. Hilton was 9 years old, the Jaguars should be able to play some solid defense and force turnovers. Look for the Jaguars to pound the rock in this one and wear Indy’s defense out.

Bold Prediction -- Jaguars 31, Colts 20