One of the NFL's most physical rivalries is renewed Monday night in Jacksonville in a key AFC South matchup as the Indianapolis ColtsJaguars (4-1). Indy is -3 on WagerWeb.com.
The Jaguars handed the Colts their worst loss of last season, 44-17, in Week 14, rushing for a stunning 375 yards (166 and two touchdowns from Maurice Jones-Drew, 131 and one touchdown from Fred Taylor), the second-most in the league since 1970.
"We watched the film, and it's tough to watch," Colts linebacker Freddy Keiaho said. "It's one of those things where we made a lot more mistakes - not to take anything away from them - but we made a lot more mistakes as a defense than they (made plays) as runners."
As bad as the Indy rush defense was, Peyton Manning also failed to throw a TD pass and completed just 25 of 50 passes.
"You do learn from that and we will go back in and watch that film to try and prevent what happened, "said Colts safety Bob Sanders, who missed that game with an injury. "It will be a big week for us, to see how this defense stands up against another good team."
Jacksonville again is one of the league's best rushing teams, 154.8 rushing yards per game, fourth most in the NFL this season, with Jones-Drew compiling 307 yards and three touchdowns on 54 carries, and Taylor gaining 297 yards on 61 carries.
But the Colts' run defense ranks 13th in the league, allowing 105.4 yards per game, after finishing last in 2006 (173.0). Plus, Indy will have a healthy Sanders tonight.
Jacksonville QB David Garrard, in his first season as a starter, is completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 1,069 yards with six touchdowns and has rushed for 134 yards this season as the Jags play a conservative attack."I'm just going through my reads and trying to put the ball in the right hands.
I'm just trying to make smart decisions," said Garrard, whose 104.7 QB rating is third in the AFC.
The Indianapolis offense, as usual, is among the NFL's best, ranking third overall and averaging 32.8 points per game. During their six-game winning streak on "Monday Night Football,' the Colts are averaging 35.3 points, and Manning is 8-2 on Monday nights with 22 TDs, nine INTs and 102.8 passer rating. However, will Manning have receiver Marvin Harrison tonight? The All-Pro will be a game-time decision with a bruised knee.
Harrison's availability could be key, as the Jaguars have allowed three 100-yard receivers the last three games. In addition, Harrison and Reggie Wayne have burned the Jaguars in the past, combining for four 100-yard games and eight touchdowns the last four years.
"We'll do the best we can to prepare to slow these guys down a little bit and try to limit their ability to ring the bell", Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said.
"These guys like to ring the bell and we don't want them ringing the bell here in Jacksonville."
But the Jacksonville run defense has been strong.
Since a Week 1 loss to the Titans in which it gave up 282 rushing yards, Jacksonville has won four in a row, allowing 50 rushing yards per game.
The lowdown: The Colts have won 10 in a row, the Jaguars four (although Jacksonville's wins have come against teams that are a combined 7-15). The Colts are coming off a bye week and will have Joseph Addai back from injury and, more than likely, Harrison as well.
However, you can bet the Jaguars and their crowd will be pumped up in one of the franchise's biggest regular-season games. "A lot of chips are on the table," Del Rio said. "We want to win the division, and in order to win the division you can't allow a team to get so far out front that you're chasing them the rest of the year." Colts coach Tony Dungy agrees on the game's magnitude: "It's the biggest game of the year right now for us. We've got a chance to create some distance between ourselves and the rest of the division.' The Colts are 25-7 against AFC South competition since 2002, and I look for that to be 26-7 after tonight, with a close cover for Indy. (5-0) visit the
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