Neither the Jacksonville Jaguars nor the Indianapolis Colts got a win in Week 1, putting both teams in need to get on track in Week 2.
The Jaguars blew a late lead against the Washington Commanders last week, while the Colts tied the Houston Texans, despite outgaining their opponent by more than 200 yards.
While Indianapolis enters as a slight road favorite, winning in Jacksonville has been a problem for the team over the last decade. The last time the Colts won in Duval County was in 2014 in a game where rookie Blake Bortles took his first NFL snaps.
Last year, the Colts — with a spot in the playoffs on the line — lost 26-11 to a Jaguars team that hadn’t won in two months.
Looming large in 2022 are several signifiant injuries that could make life difficult for the Colts. The team will be without its three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard and may be without star defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, who is questionable. Indianapolis is also down two starting receivers, Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce.
For that reason, in particular, I believe the one-dimensional Colts offense will struggle to put together lengthy drives. And on defense, Indianapolis will have trouble defending the middle of the field without Leonard.
While the Jaguars are an underdog, I don’t think they squeak by with a close victory.
Final score prediction: Jaguars 27, Colts 14