Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, December 7th, 1:00 PM ET
Oh boy. This game could be something special. All of a sudden, the Jaguars and Colts are tied up with an 8-4 record, and the Jags are now the first-place team in the division. After a wicked hot start from Indy this year, they have cooled off in recent weeks and now find themselves in a Wild Card seed.
We are not all that far removed from Indy being a runaway favorite for the top seed in the AFC, and it just goes to show you how quickly things can change in the NFL. The Colts may now struggle to get into the playoffs altogether with how tough their remaining schedule is.
The Jags also keep stacking wins and are 8-4 themselves, but they are doing this with very limited talent. It’s clear that first-year head coach Liam Coen and his staff are the right ones for the job, as Jacksonville does have a legitimate shot at the division title.
We obviously cannot rule out the 7-5 Houston Texans who are one of the hottest teams in the NFL this year. With the way things have been trending for both teams, I would be inclined to pick the Jags in this one.
The defense is good enough to contain the high-flying Indy offense, and Colts’ QB Daniel Jones has really struggled in recent weeks and is dealing with a fractured leg as well. However, Indy can hurt opponents on offense with a plethora of players, and I do believe Shane Steichen is going to have them ready to go, as they have to begin thinking ‘must win’ with some of these games.
This is going to be a close game, and I am going to be boring and pick the home team here by three points. The Jags could possess the ball last and kick a game-winning field goal, getting to 9-4 in our predictions and sending to Colts to 8-5, which would only make their playoff hopes fainter.