This Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to Indianapolis to face off against the Colts in a heated, critical AFC South match-up. Both teams are hoping to make late-season pushes for the playoffs and remain in the hunt for a wild-card spot. Here are three things to know before kickoff on Sunday:
Healthy Quarterbacks
Both the Jaguars and Colts have been without their starting quarterbacks for some time after injuries sidelined the two, however, for Week 11, both Nick Foles and Jacoby Brissett are set to suit up. For Foles, this will be the first time since the first quarter of Week 1 that the high price free-agent acquisition will get to play.
The Jaguars benched the fan-favorite, Gardner Minshew, in favor of consistency and experience in hopes to spark a late season playoff run. The AFC wild-card race is very much wide open and Doug Marrone and his staff thought Foles gave the team the best chance to take advantage of the weaker AFC. This should be the first time Jags’ fans finally get to see what kind of player Foles really is.
Adam Vinatieri’s struggles
The Jags and the Colts have had two of the NFL’s most consistent kickers. Colts’ kicker, Adam Vinatieri, has the all-time NFL record for consecutive kicks made, while Jags kicker Josh Lambo has the current record with 24 kicks made in a row. Both are among the most respected kickers in the league.
However, Vinatieri hasn’t been himself as of late. The veteran has made just 74% of his field goal attempts. When it comes to extra points, he’s been worse, making just 70% of his attempts. If Vinatieri continues to struggle, a kicking battle will very heavily favor Jacksonville as Lambo has yet to miss a field goal on the year. Kickers are not the most talked-about players but their impact is definitely felt. Just ask the San Fransisco 49ers who lost their most recent game due to a missed kick.
Season on the line
Much like in Week 9, this is a must-win game for Jacksonville. If the Jaguars win, they return to .500 and reassert themselves in the middle of the AFC wild-card race. A win against the in-division Colts would be a massive confidence boost, getting the Jags to 2-2 in the division with a game left against the Titans and Colts each.
If Jacksonville loses, their playoff hopes are likely all but lost. At 4-6 the team would be fourth in the division without the tie-breakers to get back in the hunt. That said, this is a very winnable game. Coming off the bye with the return of Foles, Marrone should have this team ready to go and starving for a win. Let’s hope the team can capitalize and bring a new energy into the second half of the year.
