The Jacksonville Jaguars rode the play of quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a playoff appearance in his second NFL season. Will the Indianapolis Colts follow a similar trajectory led by Anthony Richardson?
Jacksonville had won four of six meetings with the Colts before Indianapolis won the most previous matchup 34-27 as Matt Ryan connected with rookie Alec Pierce for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds to play. That ended a run of four consecutive games in the series finishing under the total.
Jacksonville is currently a 3½-point favorite. The last time the Jaguars were favored on the road against the Colts came in 2017 when they rolled to a 27-0 victory. The total is set at 43½ for the Sept. 10 meeting and only four other Week 1 showdowns currently have lower totals. If that total holds up, it would be the seventh time in the last nine meetings that the total came in under 45 points.
The Jaguars are priced at +2500 in the Super Bowl odds, which ranks sixth among AFC teams. The Colts are well back at +15000 in the championship odds. The Jaguars haven’t won back-to-back division titles since the 1997 and 1998 seasons. That could change with Jacksonville listed at -160 to win the AFC South Division title. The Colts are third at +550 in the AFC South Division odds.
What’s Changed for the Jaguars and Colts in 2023?
The Jaguars looked to upgrade the offensive line and protect Lawrence, with the selection of Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison late in the first round. It was quite the change after Jacksonville had the No. 1 overall picks in the last two NFL drafts.
Jacksonville returns its top 13 tacklers from a season ago with Devin Lloyd, Travon Walker, Andre Cisco, Josh Allen, Tyson Campbell and Chad Muma among the young players the Jaguars are building around.
On offense, offensive tackle Josh Wells comes over from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Cleveland Browns’ back D’Ernest Johnson adds some depth behind Travis Etienne. The Jaguars did see fourth-leading receiver Marvin Jones return to a Detroit Lions franchise he played for from 2016-2020.
The biggest news for the Colts was the selection of Richardson with the fourth overall pick. Former North Carolina receiver Josh Downs was picked in the third round. Ryan is gone after a difficult 2022 season with the Colts. Parris Campbell, who was second on the Colts with 63 catches, is now with the New York Giants. The Colts did bring in former Buffalo Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie and he could help on special teams as well.
The Colts named former Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as head coach. Considering how well that Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts played when Steichen worked with them could be good news for Richardson.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Samson Ebukam was the biggest offseason acquisition on defense. Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents was a second-round pick. The Colts lost No. 2 tackler Bobby Okereke, No. 3 tackler Rodney McLeod and star cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Jaguars vs Colts: Where Each Team Has the Edge
The running back matchup could be an intriguing one with Etienne a rising star for the Jaguars while the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor is tied for fifth in the NFL Offensive Player of the Year odds for a reason.
Jacksonville has the advantage at quarterback with Lawrence and has a better group of pass catchers than the Colts with Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram playing key roles in Lawrence’s improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. Now, Calvin Ridley is added to that group after he was suspended for the 2022 season as a result fo gambling accusations.
Both teams have some questions on the offensive line. Jacksonville’s starting left tackle Cam Robinson could be facing a suspension while injuries have slowed the progress of what was a talented front for the Colts.
Jacksonville allowed nearly 20 more yards per game last season than the Colts, However, Indianapolis surrendered more points than any other AFC team. The Colts have to replace three of the top six tacklers from a season ago. They opted to build around recent draft picks rather than dipping into the free-agent market to improve the defense.
Fun facts about the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jacksonville has made eight playoff appearances since debuting in 1995 and has won at least one playoff game in six of those seasons.
- Jacksonville picked outside the top 10 in the NFL Draft for the first time since 2018. The Jaguars had six top-10 picks from 2016-2022 and three of them are no longer with the team.
- The Jaguars will play back-to-back games in London in October, facing the Atlanta Falcons in Wembley Stadium on Oct. 1 and the Buffalo Bills in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 8. TIAA Bank Field is expected to undergo major renovations beginning in 2025 and that could result in Jacksonville needing a temporary home stadium for a stretch.
Fun facts about the Indianapolis Colts
- The Colts haven’t had back-to-back losing seasons since 1997 and 1998. That was followed by 11 postseason appearances in the next 12 seasons.
- Anthony Richardson became the ninth quarterback taken in the top 5 in the NFL Draft by the Colts and the first since Andrew Luck was the first overall pick in 2012.
- According to numbers reported by Forbes in August, the Colts franchise has a value of $3.8B after being bought for $14M in 1972.
