In the latest of Thursday Night Football “thrillers,” the surprising Indianapolis Colts (5-3) head into Florida to take on divisional foe Jacksonville (1-7). Andrew Luck, fresh off a record-breaking rookie performance in which he gashed the Miami Dolphins for over 433 passing yards and 2 TDs, could actually have a chance to break his own record against the miserable Jaguars defense. MVP rumors are starting to pick up as the rookie signal caller has led his team to more wins than the 2011 squad had; they finished the season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses.
Despite the early Week 3 loss to the Jags at Lucas Oil Stadium, the newest installment of this Colt squad continues to impress. Not only is Andrew Luck maturing before fan’s eyes, but the resurgence of Reggie Wayne and impressive rushing attack led by Vick Ballard has the Colt offense bewildering defensive schemes. With teams now having to account for a solid running back, something the Colts haven’t had since Joseph Addai, Luck has the ability to run play action passes to his favorite target in Wayne.
Of course, when Wayne draws double coverage, Luck has also benefited from having rookie T.Y Hilton catching passes. Hilton, a third round pick out of FIU, has quietly been having a solid rookie season. Donnie Avery, Lavonn Brazil, Dwayne Allen, and Luck’s Stanford teammate Coby Fleener have all enjoyed solid seasons catching passes from the rookie.
The X factor for this offense has undoubtedly been Vick Ballard, who has added an element to a team that has been considered the most one-dimensional offense in the league. Having a steady workhorse player in the backfield like Ballard takes some of the pressure of Luck to throw the ball 40-50 times a game. Ballard has rewarded the Colt’s for taking a gamble on him by rushing for 200 yards in the last three contests, including an OT touchdown against the Titans in Week 8. The Colt three-game winning streak has this team looking to return to Postseason glory this year.
For Jacksonville, the season has to be a disappointment. While the Jags have hung tight with some of the elite teams in the NFL this year, injuries and poor play have Jacksonville in contention with the Kansas City Chiefs for the first pick in the 2013 draft. Injuries to Blaine Gabbert, Maurice Jones-Drew, combined with the slow start of Oklahoma State rookie Justin Blackmon have the Jaguars offensive unit reeling a little bit.
Even though the Jags essentially have nothing to play for but pride at this point in the season, knocking off the surging Colts would be a sweet victory for a Jacksonville squad that defeated the Colts earlier in the season. In their Week 3 matchup with the Colts, Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 177 yards and a score en route to a 22-17 victory. The Jags will not have Jones-Drew for the Thursday night contest, but backup Rashad Jennings is enjoying a nice campaign of his own. Consistency will be the key for a struggling Jags team. If Jennings and Gabbert are able to get their mojo working, the Indy could find themselves victimized by the upset.
Realistically, Andrew Luck and company should ride the momentum they have been enjoying and brutally punish the downtrodden Jaguars. Ratings will again stumble as the NFL continues to broadcast mediocre matchups in primetime. The highlight of the night will be seeing Andrew Luck attempt to set a rookie passing record in back-to-back weeks. Look for the Colts to win big at the expense of their divisional “rival.”
Prediction: Colts 34, Jags 7
Matchup to Watch: Colts Defensive lineman vs. Rashad Jennings
Breakout Fantasy Performer: Andrew Luck (325+ yards passing, 3 TDs)
