Colts prepare for limited Jaguars offense
They just saw each other 17 days ago, but the Jacksonville Jaguars will look a lot different when they host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field.
The Colts (6-5) will have to adjust their preparation for the Jaguars (3-8), who have benched quarterback Blake Bortles in favor of backup Cody Kessler and replaced fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett with quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich.
The Jaguars also will be without their best offensive player in running back Leonard Fournette, who lost his appeal of a one-game NFL suspension for a fighting ejection Sunday at Buffalo. Expect T.J. Yeldon to get the start.
What hasn’t changed in a short amount of time since the Colts’ 29-26 home win over the Jaguars on Nov. 11 is the direction of the two AFC South division teams. The Colts have won five in a row for the first time since 2014. The Jaguars, one year removed from reaching the AFC title game, have lost seven in a row.
Colts first-year head coach Frank Reich has been around the league long enough to know that player and coaching changes don’t necessarily mean a complete offensive overhaul.
“My experience has been it’s not quite as big a deal as everyone thinks,” Reich said on Wednesday. “But it’s usually not as big of a systematic change as people might think. You nuance a couple of things, you shift a couple of things, but mostly you’re running your system.”
Kessler hasn’t started a game since losing all eight of his previous NFL starts with Cleveland in 2016. A former third-round pick with the Browns, he’s appeared in one game this season, spelling Bortles at Houston in a 20-7 loss. Kessler completed 21 of 30 passes for 156 yards with one TD, one interception, one fumble and he took four sacks.
“He’ll be ready,” Reich said of Kessler. “He’s been running their system and been in it, so we’ll just prepare against what we’ve been seeing on tape.”
Colts defensive tackle Al Woods said it’s imperative for the pass rush to get after Kessler and force mistakes. The Colts are one of only two NFL teams to force a turnover in each game this season. That said, the unit has often struggled to get stops and is just 17th in total yards allowed and 18th in points allowed.
“From what I’ve seen, he’s composed in the pocket and can be dangerous,” Woods said of Kessler. “We’ve got to get him uncomfortable and get him uncomfortable quick.”
The Jaguars are 28th in scoring at 17.9 points per game.
The Colts are two games behind Houston (8-3) for the division lead, but tied with Baltimore in pursuit of the sixth and final AFC playoff spot. The Ravens hold the tiebreaker.
It’s a game the Colts can’t afford to lose, although their mindset is the same as the last time these teams met.
“Honestly, I don’t think anybody in this locker room is looking at it like a streak,” quarterback Andrew Luck said of the Colts’ five-game win streak. “Frank has done a great job of keeping us just focused on the task at hand. Whether we were losing games or winning games, whatever it is, the approach has been the same. So in that department, nothing has really changed.
“We just come in and try to make the most out of each day. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s what is working for us. That’s where our focus needs to stay. I think it is. We’ll fight against letting our focus go elsewhere.”
Luck knows how stingy the Jaguars defense can be. The Colts scored all 29 of their points in the first half of the previous meeting. That an offense which has been clicking for two months failed to score in the second half is a reminder of the challenge ahead.
The Jaguars are fifth in fewest total yards allowed and third in fewest passing yards allowed. The Colts have averaged 33.1 points in their last eight games to boost the season average to 29.5, fourth in the league.
“They have great players all over the field,” Luck said. “They’ve got guys who can cover, guys who can rush the passer, their linebackers are elite. They will make you pay for not being on the Ps and Qs. We know that. We know that very well.”
SERIES HISTORY: 36th regular-season meeting. Colts lead series, 23-12. The Colts hung on for a 29-26 home win over the Jaguars on Nov. 11 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts scored all of their points in the first half. The Jaguars swept the season series last year. The Jaguars have won four of six. Before that, the Colts won six straight. The Colts are 10-7 at Jacksonville.
