The Indianapolis Colts, who are winners of two straight games, head to Jacksonville for a matchup with the 0-4 Jaguars.
We all know the recent history for the Colts when traveling to Jacksonville, where they’ve lost nine consecutive games. A victory now only ends that rough stretch, but it gets the Colts above .500 at 3-2 on the season and puts them at 1-1 in the division rather than 0-2.
Or in other words, this is an important early-season game.
So with each of these teams trending in different directions at the moment, who do the experts have winning this Week 5 matchup? Let’s take a look.
ESPN
Of the three members of ESPN’s staff who are making these predictions, only one picked the Colts to win this matchup. Using the Football Power Index’s projection model, the Jaguars have a 50.7 percent chance of winning this matchup. Perhaps the Colts struggles in Jacksonville and numerous injuries are the reasons behind these predictions.
NFL.com
A clean sweep–all five members of the NFL.com staff are picking the Jaguars. Tom Blair said he wanted to pick the Colts, but ultimately Indianapolis not having Jonathan Taylor coupled with what has been a good run defense unit for Jacksonville led to him picking the Jaguars in this one.
CBS Sports
As seems to be the thought process for just about everyone, this game is a coin flip. Of the eight CBS Sports staff members who made picks, four picked the Colts and four picked the Jaguars. Pete Prisco says the Jaguars at home against the Colts have history on their side, so he’s rolling with Jacksonville.
Bleacher Report
The Bleacher Report staff feels more strongly about the Jaguars chances in this one. Six of the eight predictions sided with Jacksonville. In part, Brent Sobleski is picking the Jaguars because of their success against the Colts at home, Indianapolis not having Taylor, and at 0-4, he favors a team in “dire straits,” as he put it.
Sports Illustrated’s MMQB
The Monday Morning Quarterback crew are mostly picking the Colts in this one. Of the six members of the MMQB staff, four are taking Indianapolis.
Pro Football Talk
Both Mike Florio and Chirs Simms are taking the Jaguars in this one. For what it’s worth, Florio enters Week 5 41-23 on his picks and Simms is 36-28.