It is now Week 6 of the NFL season and the Jaguars are returning back home after a highly successful stint in London.
The Jaguars come back 2-0 after a 10-day stretch across the pond, with wins against the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills.
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Jacksonville is now 3-2 and has its sights set on a big time AFC South divisional matchup at home on Sunday against the Colts. This is the second time this year that these two teams will have met. The Jaguars came away with the win in the season opener against the Colts (31-21).
The Jaguars have defeated Indianapolis eight straight times as the home team, including seven times in Jacksonville (in 2016, the two teams played in London) outscoring the Colts 232-104. If the Jaguars come away with a win on Sunday, it will be the team’s first time sweeping the Colts since 2017.
The Colts come into this matchup with the same 3-2 record as the Jaguars and both teams are tied atop the AFC South. The winner of this matchup will end up in sole possession of first place through six games of the season.
Indianapolis has won three of their last four games. Their last game was a divisional matchup against the Tennessee Titans with the Colts coming away with the 23-16 victory.
One thing we know about Sunday’s matchup is that the Colts will be without rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson injured the AC joint in his right shoulder on Sunday against Tennessee and will miss the foreseeable future.
On Wednesday, the Colts placed the No. 4 overall pick on injured reserve, keeping him sidelined for at least the next four weeks. This means Jaguars fans will get to see a familiar face under center for Indianapolis.
On Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced that Gardner Minshew would make his second start of the season, this time going against his former team.
Richardson’s health has been an issue so far throughout his rookie campaign. He has been unable to finish three of his first four games. And now it’s Minshew’s time to once again step in.
“It’s tough,” Steichen said, referring to Richardson’s injury. “You know a guy gets dinged up like he gets dinged up and he’s, obviously, a very talented player and it’s tough. But you know we’ve got a lot of faith in Gardner to step in and go operate the way he has been.”
That’s right, it will be somewhat of a return for “Minshew Mania” on Sunday in Duval County. Minshew has played well for Indianapolis this season when he has been called on. He’s won three of the four Colts games he’s played in, two in relief of the injured Richardson. And he’s completing nearly 70% of his throws.
“I think he’s an elite processor of the game, a guy that can process the game quickly and make quick decisions,” Steichen said. “He’s really good, he’s accurate, he knows where to go with the football at the right time and the right place, and he’s been awesome for us.”
Last week, Minshew went 5 of 6 for 68 yards and had a 113.9 passer rating when pressured, according to Next Gen Stats.
This will be Minshew’s first time being back at EverBank Stadium since being traded by the Jaguars in 2021.
“I think he can just relate to everybody; you know what I mean? There are different types of people, he can relate to everybody,” Steichen said. “Again, going back to his passion, his love for the game, his love for people around this building, outside this building. I know it will be big for him to go back to Jacksonville where he started his career. I’m excited to watch him play on Sunday.”
However, Minshew may not receive the warm welcoming embrace he was hoping for because this Jaguars defense is shutting offenses down and now Minshew is just the next quarterback on the list.
Another difference between this matchup and the last, is that this time the Colts will have All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor.
According to league sources, Indianapolis and Taylor agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract with $26.5 million guaranteed. Taylor made his season debut last week against the Titans, carrying it six times for 18 yards and bringing in one catch for another 16 yards.
The bigger story at running back for the Colts is Zack Moss. Moss has been carrying the load in Taylor’s absence, and he’s been doing a very good job.
Moss had a career performance last week in the Colts win over the Titans. He carried the ball 23 times for 165 yards and two scores. Steichen talked earlier this week about ramping up Taylor’s workload in practice ahead of the Week 6 matchup.
“This will be a full week of practice, which is going to be really huge because especially today on Wednesday, you’re in pads, you’re able to get a lot of those high-speed reps in and really work on your craft,” Taylor said. “You can definitely work on the details when you have shells and helmets, but it’s different when you put those pads on. So it’ll be a big week to be able to continue to progress.
So now it looks like the Colts could have somewhat of a two-headed monster at the running back position with both Taylor and Moss carrying the football.
“I think it can get really scary,” Taylor said. “I mean, and I think you guys got a taste — actually, not even today you guys got a taste, you guys have been getting a taste the past few weeks with Zack. Now, it’s on me in order to continue to do my part and continue to help this team.”
The Colts rushing attack is now much more advanced than when it went for 65 total rushing yards against Jacksonville in Week 1. Since Moss made his season debut in Week 2, the Colts have averaged 147 rushing yards per game. That’s the sixth most in the NFL.
Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter can’t wait to feature both backs in the offense more moving forward.
“They bring an exciting element,” Cooter said. “Zack’s been playing extremely well. We’re super excited to get JT back, good to see him out there getting a few carries, getting a nice catch in the open field. They’re playing good football at that position and that’s always a good thing.
As for the Colts defense, it could have its hands full come Sunday. It is going up against a Jacksonville team being led by a laser sharp Trevor Lawrence. He went 25 of 37 for 315 and a touchdown last week against the Bills. Lawrence did also lose two fumbles in that game while the Jaguars were in scoring range.
However, the way Lawrence connected with Calvin Ridley on some of those third down throws late in the Bills game seems like the group may have really figured some things out.
The Colts also now have two different outside cornerbacks than they did in Week 1. Rookies JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones now lead the way in their secondary.
Colts defensive coordinator and ex-Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said preparation is key this week if the team wants to rely on rookies to try and help slow down this Jaguars passing attack.
“Well, every week there are challenges, right? I mean last week we talked about a couple of their receivers and now this week it will be the same,” Bradley said. “This is a really, really good receiving core. They’ve got multiple ways to hurt you in the passing game. So, it will be a great challenge for them. So, it’s a whole new set of issues that come up and it’s that preparation part. They’ve got to study the receivers. I think one thing is studying the scheme and that’s what DBs do. They study the scheme, but for corners, it’s also the types of releases, the style of routes they run. So, it’s that individual time that they need to spend watching the receivers that I think we have to keep building with those younger guys.”
This Colts defensive line is still one of the toughest that the Jaguars will have faced, and the defense is led by middle linebacker Zaire Franklin. Franklin is currently leading the NFL in tackles through five weeks with 69.
The Colts held Titans running back Derrick Henry to just 43 yards on 13 carries, that’s just 3.3 yards a carry.
So, the Colts defense is likely going to try and make it tough sledding for Jaguars running back Travis Etienne and the Jaguars offensive line on Sunday.
Whether the two teams look exactly the same or completely different, Steichen expects his team to give it everything they have got for this game against Jacksonville on Sunday.
“I just want to continue to see the fight that we’ve been playing with and the effort we’ve been playing with,” Steichen said. “Obviously, division games are huge just like we had the other day. But to go on the road in Jacksonville — it will be a tough environment, a heck of a challenge for us. Obviously, our second time playing them. Get some time tonight and tomorrow to put the plan together to go get these guys ready.”