Minshew Mania returns to Jacksonville for the first time since being traded before the beginning of the 2021 season.
The Indianapolis Colts have gotten off to an impressive and surprising start to their 2023 campaign beginning the season 3-2, as they currently sit in second place in the AFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who got off to a sluggish 1-2 start, find themselves back atop the division currently sitting at 3-2 after back-to-back wins in London.
After former Florida Gators rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson got injured in last week’s contest, the Colts placed him on the injured reserve list. Richardson is expected to miss between 4-8 weeks with a shoulder injury and may be required to have surgery. In his absence, former Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew will remain the starter, and the Colts just signed Kellen Mond to their practice squad.
Indianapolis is coming off a big divisional win in week five where they beat the Tennessee Titans 23-16. In Jonathan Taylor’s return back to the field, he had a very quiet outing as he only carried the ball six times for 18 yards. Zack Moss made up for the lack of production in the backfield as he rushed the ball 23 times for 165 yards, chipped in two touchdowns, and averaged 7.2 yards per carry.
Gardner Minshew, who replaced an injured Richardson, came in and played a very solid game as he completed 11-of-14 passes for 155 yards, had a quarterback rating (QBR) of 88.9, and a passer rating of 112.8. Rookie Joshua Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. played very well as Downs recorded six receptions for 97 yards, and Pittman Jr. had five catches for 52 yards.
On the flip side, Jacksonville is coming off two straight wins in London, including a week five victory over the Buffalo Bills 25-20. Zay Jones and Walker Little both suffered knee injuries and were not participants in practice on Wednesday. Jacksonville did get left tackle Cam Robinson back off of suspension, and they also activated both Dawaune Smoot and Davon Hamilton off the injured reserve list, helping bolster that front seven for the Jaguars.
Trevor Lawrence was sensational last weekend in the win as he completed 25-of-37 passes for 315 yards, one touchdown, had a quarterback rating (QBR) of 78.5, and a passer rating of 102.9. On third and fourth down plays last week, Lawrence completed 9-of-10 passes for 114 yards with one touchdown and had a near-perfect passer rating of 147.5. Lawrence is currently the sixth-highest-graded quarterback (per PFF) and the number one-rated quarterback on deep passes of 20+ yards, completing 10-of-18 passes for 287 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Jacksonville put together a collective effort to beat the Bills for all four quarters, and that is what it will take to beat a sneaky-good Colts team in week six. The Colts have not won in Jacksonville since 2014, and the Jaguars have a current eight-game win streak in Duval County versus Indianapolis.
Since coming into the league, Taylor has had a ton of success versus the Jaguars and that will be the key for the Jaguars defensively. In five career matchups against the Jaguars, Taylor has rushed 84 times for 522 yards and had three touchdowns, averaging 104.4 yards on the ground per game.
Offensively for the Jaguars, they will need to continue to air the ball out and exploit a Colts secondary that ranks 28th in passing defense. If you look back at their week one matchup, Trevor Lawrence played a very good not great game as he threw for 241 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and had a passer rating of 103.8. Calvin Ridley came out strong in week one as he recorded a season-high eight receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown.
Trevor Lawrence will look to exploit this Colts defense as he has had a lot of success versus Gus Bradley, their defensive coordinator. Bradley is a coach who likes to play a lot of single high cover one and cover three concepts, which will open up a lot of opportunities for the Calvin Ridley’s of the world on the outside.
Jacksonville comes into this game as a -4.5-point favorite and will be looking to stay atop the AFC South.
Indianapolis, led by Gardner Minshew, will be looking to get revenge on his former team and beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville for the first time since 2014.
Kickoff is set for 1 PM on Oct.15 EST at Everbank Field.