JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars return to TIAA Bank Field for their first home game of the Doug Pederson era. They dropped Pederson’s debut last week at Washington. Each week, the News4JAX sports staff will offer predictions on the game.
Justin Barney
Season: 0-1.
The Jaguars had a chance to win last week, which is all you can ask for. They didn’t close the game strong, giving up two long Carson Wentz touchdown passes and then a Trevor Lawrence interception to wilt in crunch time. That won’t happen this week. I’m not a glass-half-full believer when it comes to the Jaguars, but I liked the progress Jacksonville showed last week. It’s not a finished product, but it wasn’t terrible. And not being terrible is about what we’ve come to expect from this team. Lawrence needs to play better, no question. I like this matchup more for Jacksonville than last weeks. Jaguars 28, Colts 20.
Cole Pepper
Season: 0-1.
I went with the Jaguars last week and they had a chance. This week, the task seems pretty simple. Don’t let Jonathan Taylor beat you. The Colts are the favorites in the division and so they have more on the line. They also haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2014. I think the Jaguars learned some good lessons last week, in particular the young players. If they can reduce the mistakes, I think they’ll keep the Colts losing streak alive. Jaguars 23-20.
Jamal St. Cyr
Season: 0-1.
With Matt Ryan coming to town, there is a big part of me that wants the score for this game to be 28-3. But are the Jaguars ready to pitch that kind of game yet? After the disappointment of Week 1, I expect the Jaguars to come out ready to play on Sunday. The big question is will Trevor Lawrence be able to play a cleaner game? I say yes and have the Jags winning a shootout, with big days from James Robinson and Travis Etienne. Jaguars 33, Colts 28.