Welcome back, Nick Foles. You too, Jacoby Brissett.
The return of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ and Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterbacks injects extra juice into Sunday’s AFC South battle at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Foles will make his first start since Week 1, when he sustained a broken clavicle while throwing a touchdown pass in the first quarter of a loss to Kansas City. Brissett is back after missing last week’s 16-12 home loss to Miami with a knee injury suffered during a 28-26 defeat Nov. 3 in Pittsburgh.
Without Foles, Jacksonville (4-5) at least managed to tread water. Rookie Gardner Minshew threw 13 touchdown passes and just four interceptions after Foles’ injury, establishing himself as a viable option for the long run, whether that’s in north Florida or somewhere else.
While the Jaguars are occupants of the division cellar, they still possess playoff hopes. And no one knows better than Foles the meaning of having a chance. After all, he did take Philadelphia on a surprise Super Bowl run after Carson Wentz’s season-ending injury two years ago, and helped rally the Eagles by going 5-1 down the stretch in 2018 and won a wild-card game last year at Chicago.
“To be back in a situation where we have an opportunity to make a run, that’s all we can ever ask. I’m grateful and happy to be back with those guys,” Foles said.
Besides getting its veteran starter back under center, Jacksonville has had a week off to get healthy after enduring a 26-3 beating from Houston on Nov. 3 in London. The addition of Foles gives a team with a powerful running back in Leonard Fournette, as well as developing young receivers, a veteran who knows about winning big games.
“More is on the line,” Foles said of playing in November and December. “Offenses and teams and cultures have been developed. Each year a team develops a culture. That’s the biggest challenge of stepping back in there and just playing football.”
By that standard, Brissett should have an easier time finding a rhythm. All he’s missed is a game and a half. But that was enough time for the Colts to fall behind Houston in the division race.
Last week’s defeat to Miami was one of the most puzzling results of the year in the NFL. Even with backup Brian Hoyer under center, Indianapolis (5-4) was a double-digit favorite. But Hoyer’s first start in two years was an unmitigated disaster, as he was just 18 of 39 for 204 yards with three crushing interceptions.
Through eight games, Brissett has completed a career-best 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,649 yards with a 14-3 touchdown-interception ratio. Coach Frank Reich said Friday that Brissett “was full go (in practice) the whole week” and ready to play.
Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, the team’s leading pass catcher with 32 receptions, won’t play, Reich said Friday. Hilton (calf) has missed the past two games and wasn’t able to practice on Wednesday.
This is the teams’ first meeting of the year. They will play again in the season finale at Jacksonville.
