The good, the bad and the ugly of the Jaguars’ 33-13 loss to the Colts

Fans feel as though there wasn’t a lot of good to take from the Jags loss to the Colts but at least Foles looked to be 100% from his injury.

Time is slowly ticking away on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ season.

The Jaguars concluded Week 11 with a brutal 33-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. With this loss, the Jags sit at 4-6 on the year and will move further down the standings in the AFC. This all but eradicates their chances of making the playoffs.

Sunday’s game was also a huge deal because it marked Nick Foles’ return from the collarbone injury he sustained Week 1.

How would Foles measure up to a tough division rival in the Colts? Here are the good, the bad and the ugly moments from the Jaguars loss vs. the Colts:

1. The good: Foles’ shoulder looks well and healthy

While the final result on the scoreboard wasn’t particularly desirable, Foles showed that he is perfectly healthy and appeared to show no setbacks from his injured shoulder. Foles threw 47 passes and had 33 completions, proving that he can handle a high volume of passes. He even showed off some great intermediate accuracy on his two touchdown throws to wide receiver DJ Chark Jr.

There were many questions as to rather or not Foles would be able to return to form after his injury and it seems for now that everything looks fine health-wise for him. It’s an encouraging sign for a quarterback that the Jaguars will be committed to for three more years.

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Instant analysis: Jags get embarrassed by Colts despite Nick Foles’ return

The Jags entered Sunday’s must-win game needing to show some life and did the exact opposite.

The Jacksonville Jaguars came into Week 11’s game against the Indianapolis Colts looking to capitalize on a must-win situation but that did not happen. In fact, it wasn’t even a close game as the Jags fell flat with the final score being 33-13.

The Jags were coming off their bye week almost at full strength with just one player on their injury report, while the Colts were without their top receiver, T.Y. Hilton, however, that did not matter. The Colts offense still found success on the ground as the Jags’ defense had another terrible outing against the run. By the time the clock hit 0:00 the Colts had garnered 264 rushing yards mostly thanks to Jonathan Williams, who had 116 yards and Marlon Mack, who exited the game early with an injury but had 109 yards and a touchdown. Simply put, Week 11 marked yet another poor showing from Todd Wash, which should leave the status for his job potentially in the air.

The Jags’ offense wasn’t much better, however, and that was despite the return of Nick Foles from his Week 1 collarbone injury. The veteran had a forgettable day despite the plethora of passing attempts he made (33-of-47) and passing for just under 300 yards and a pick. Of course, those stats were padded due to the Jags being behind for most of the game. Additionally, he had some poorly thrown balls throughout the game, but it’s worth noting he’s just returning from a two-month hiatus. Still, it was not a performance fans will be happy about — and rightfully so.

The Jags also had some questionable offensive play-calling by John DeFilippo. Similar to their previous loss to the Houston Texans in London, the team didn’t give Leonard Fournette a lot of carries early and it resulted in him finishing the game with just eight total carries (for 23 rushing yards) on the whole day. With him being one of the league’s top rushers many fans will question his usage, which is puzzling, to say the least.

In all probability, the Jags have played themselves out of postseason contention although the Houston Texans lost handily Week 11 as well. Still, they will have to get over this loss quickly with a trip to the Tennessee Titans coming up. Kickoff for that game will be at 4:05 EST on Nov. 24 via CBS.

Jaguars vs. Colts: 3 keys to a Jaguars victory

The Jags must put some heat on Jacoby Brissett as they have in the past this Sunday, because if they do, it could result in a big win.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the Indianapolis Colts on the road at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.

It’s been a tale of two records for both teams as the Jaguars currently sit at 4-5 on the year, while the Colts are 5-4 this season. A win for the Jags will put them at the No. 2 spot in the AFC South with a great deal of control of their destiny heading forward.

This is a must-win game for the Jaguars and here are three ways that they can secure the victory against the Colts on Sunday:

1. Feed Leonard Fournette the ball

This one seems simple but it rings completely true.

Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette has been a force in the league ranking third in the AFC in rushing yards with 831, sitting only behind Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (1,011 yards) and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (832 yards).

The Colts struggle with high-usage running backs as they allow 4.4 yards a carry to running backs with 15 or more carries. The Colts are also ranked No. 15 overall against the rush, which is good for a 104.3 yard per game average, so Fournette should have opportunities.

Giving Fournette a high volume of carries also will ease Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles into things after an eight-week hiatus that was a result of the collarbone injury he sustained Week 1.

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Jags vs. Colts: 5 matchups to watch in Sunday’s AFC South showdown

Myles Jack is going to have his hands full with Marlon Mack but that’s just one of many key matches to watch when the Jags and Colts meet.

The preparations for Sunday’s AFC South battle are now behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts and all that is left to do is take the field and see who the better team is. With it being a divisional game in which both teams feel is a must-win, the battle is going to come down to a few key matchups. Here are five matchups that we’ll be watching as both teams duke it out at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday:

LB Myles Jack vs. RB Marlon Mack

Marlon Mack will enter Sunday’s game as one of the Colts’ top weapons, while the Jags’ defense will enter it ranked 22nd against the run. They’ve had several blunders against the run as fans witnessed against the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans (Week 9). In both of those games, they allowed over 200 rushing yards, which can’t happen against Marlon Mack, who is the league’s ninth leading rusher with 753 yards.

With the Colts ruling two of their speedster receivers out in T.Y. Hilton and Paris Campbell, they might elect to run the ball more than they ever have this year. It will then fall on Myles Jack as the defense’s enforcer at linebacker to make sure Mack doesn’t get out of hand. The Jags’ defense will need to be fundamentally sound, too, by not allowing a lot of broken tackles which Mack is good at taking advantage of.

DL Calais Campbell vs. OG Quenton Nelson

As we witnessed last year, there are going to be times where the Colts’ best offensive lineman, Quenton Nelson, lines up against the Jags’ best defensive lineman in Calais Campbell. The veteran had some success against Nelson last season, who was then a rookie, but he’s a significantly better player this year, upping his Pro Football Focus grade from a 74.3 in 2018 to an 89.4 this season.

As previously stated, the Colts could look to run the ball and Nelson is a big part of what makes them successful there, so it will be imperative for Campbell to keep him from reaching the second level. Campbell and company also need to win against Nelson during passing downs as Jacoby Brissett has shown the tendency to hold on to the ball too long in the past.

CB Tre Herndon vs. WR Zach Pascal

The Colts may be without Hilton and Campbell Sunday but that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have threats through the air. In fact, Zach Pascal statistically has 13 less receiving yards than Hilton, who leads the team in receiving with 360 yards. He also has on less touchdown than Hilton, who has five. That said, with a 75.0 PFF grade to his name, he’ll be the Colts’ best receiver on the outside Sunday.

Like most opponents have, the Colts will likely target Tre Herndon early and often and will likely target him when he and Pascal are lined up against each other. It’s on Herndon on whether or not he’ll be up for the task as he’s had some highs and lows since the Jags traded Jalen Ramsey.

RB Leonard Fournette vs. LB Darius Leonard

We’ll call this one the Battle of the Leonards.

As we’ve said multiple times, fans should expect a physical one in between the tackles. With Leonard Fournette only receiving 11 carries Week 9 against the Houston Texans, coordinator John DeFilippo should be looking to get him more involved Sunday because he’s the engine for the Jags’ offense.

Meanwhile, Darius Leonard is viewed in the same light for the Colts’ defense. He’s been a tackling machine, accumulating 10 or more tackles in four of the games he’s played in. Simply put, that points to him being very active if Fournette receives more than 20 carries as he should.

WR D.J. Chark Jr. vs. CB Kenny Moore II

This matchup is simply a battle between the Jags’ best receiver and the Colts’ best corner who will see a lot of each other Sunday. Chark has emerged as the Jags’ best receiver this year and is one of the league’s most improved players with just under 700 yards to his name for six touchdowns. With Nick Foles returning to the lineup, the two could be looking to link up deep as they did for the Jags’ first touchdown of the year.

Moore seems to be an improved player, too. He currently has a PFF grade of 73.1 and has been good for the Colts’ passing defense which is tenth against the pass. However, at 5-foot-9, Moore will be at a height disadvantage against the 6-foot-4 Chark when they line up against each other, which could set the second-year player up for another 100-yard day.

2020 Pro Bowl: Voting is now live for your favorite Jaguars

Jags fans can now vote for their favorite players to make the Pro Bowl.

As of Tuesday Nov. 12, Jacksonville Jaguars fans can now vote for their favorite players to be named to the 2020 Pro Bowl.

Just as they did last season players, coaches, and fans will all have a say in what players are voted into the Pro Bowl as each party will represent one-third of the voting process. Both the National Football Conference and American Football Conference will name 44 total players to their respective rosters and fan voting will end in exactly a month (Dec. 12). Afterward, the players who are nominated will be announced on NFL Network on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. EST.

While the Jags haven’t quite had the season they were hoping for, they have several players worthy of making the AFC roster. Before their bye week, running back Leonard Fournette was the AFC’s leading rusher with 831 yards, while DJ Chark was previously the AFC’s leading receiver with 692 yards.

On the defensive side, Calais Campbell has continued to defy his age as Pro Football Focus has him graded as the league’s second-best interior defender (91.5). Meanwhile, his comrades Yannick Ngakoue and rookie Josh Allen have been quite the pass-rushing duo, with four and seven sacks, respectively.

Lastly, place kicker Josh Lambo has absolutely been money, going 22-of-22 on his field goal attempts. He has more attempts than any other kicker who is 100 percent in the category, which makes a strong case for him to be considered the league’s best.

The Pro Bowl will take place just south of Jacksonville in Orlando, Fla., so fans of the Jags will be just two hours away. The game will take place on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 at Camping World Stadium at 3 p.m. EST via ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ABC and Disney XD.

For those who want to purchase tickets, pricing starts at $45 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.