2018 Colts Season Preview: Colts/Jaguars, Week 13

An early look at the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars Week 13 regular season matchup.

Jul 22, 2018 at 11:00 AM

Jake Arthur

Colts.com Contributor

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars will already have squared off once in 2017 (Week 10) by the time this game is played. While much leading up will be the same, there could be some new storylines to watch in that month's time.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Sunday, Dec. 2, at 1 p.m. ET
Jacksonville, Fla. (TIAA Bank Field)
TV — CBS

ALL-TIME SERIES

Colts lead, 22-12. Jaguars have won four of the last five going back to 2015. Colts had won the prior six matchups.
Last game — Week 13 of 2017. Jaguars won, 30-10. At this point, the two teams will have also played in Week 10.

COACHING STAFF

Colts:

HC Frank Reich
OC Nick Sirianni
DC Matt Eberflus
STC Bubba Ventrone

Jaguars:

HC Doug Marrone
OC Nathaniel Hackett
DC Todd Wash
STC Joe DeCamillis

KEY NEW FACES

Colts:

OG Quenton Nelson
TE Eric Ebron
WR Ryan Grant
RB Nyheim Hines
DT/DE Denico Autry

Jaguars:

OG Andrew Norwell
WR Donte Moncrief/D.J. Chark
DT Taven Bryan
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins/Niles Paul
S Ronnie Harrison

OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

Colts:

The Colts got an almost entirely new coaching staff this offseason, and general manager Chris Ballard went into his second offseason of flipping the roster.
With the coaching change came a switch to a 4-3, Tampa-2 style defense from the hybrid 3-4 defense.
From 2017 to 2018, there could be as many as a dozen or more new starters.
One of those new starters will be at running back. Frank Gore is now on the Miami Dolphins, so a new face will be stepping into the starting tailback spot.

Jaguars:

The Jaguars are now without several important members of their rebuild: wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, tight end Marcedes Lewis, middle linebacker Paul Posluszny and nickel Aaron Colvin. Hurns was a notorious thorn in the side of the Colts, catching 23 balls for 445 yards and four touchdowns in six career games.
This is more about something that the Jaguars didn't change, but they did not sign or draft anybody to push Blake Bortles at quarterback. Many have speculated about his status with the team for a couple of years now, but after being signed to a contract extension this offseason, those questions have been put to rest.

EARLY STORYLINES

AFC South Race — Thirteen weeks in, what is the AFC South race looking like? It is usually tight at the top, and this year should be no different. All four teams have an argument for why they could win the division, and there is just a month left in the regular season after this game.
Receiver Corps Taking Shape? — Both teams have sleepers or unproven players at wide receiver, but at this point in the season, the depth charts should make plenty of sense. Each team also has a rookie receiver who most consider raw but incredibly physically gifted — Daurice Fountain for the Colts and D.J. Chark for the Jaguars. How is their progress coming along?

INTRIGUING MATCHUPS

We pointed out some individual matchups in their last game, so we'll focus on more general unit matchups this time.

Colts Offensive Line vs. Jaguars Front Seven — The Jaguars' defensive line is ridiculously deep, and they've got a couple young studs at linebacker also. The Colts have, on paper, what should be the best offensive line in Andrew Luck's career to this point. The Jaguars sacked the Colts 10 times in one of their matchups last year. Let's see if the Colts are ready to keep Jacksonville's front under control.
Colts Front Seven vs. Jaguars Run Game — The inverse of the previous point, the Jaguars have had a lot of success running against the Colts recently. In the four matchups since 2016, the Jaguars average 30.8 carries for 150.5 yards and 1.3 touchdowns per game on the ground. Will a brand new Colts defensive scheme lead to more success against the run.
Colts Young Secondary vs. Jaguars Young Receivers — There is a lot to be excited about in the Jaguars' receiving corps. Veteran Marqise Lee returns and welcomes fellow vet Donte Moncrief from the Colts. They are joined by Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook and Chark, all rookies or sophomores. Defending them is a similar blend of youth in the Colts secondary. Safety Clayton Geathers and cornerback Pierre Desir are the "old heads," with Malik Hooker, Quincy Wilson, Nate Hairston and Kenny Moore all in their second year.