Jacksonville @ Indianapolis preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 3, 2017 ) Indianapolis 10, Jacksonville 30

The Jacksonville Jaguars are free-falling out of contention in the AFC South with losses in four straight games and are hoping to come out of the bye week with better execution on offense. The Indianapolis Colts, who host the Jaguars on Sunday, are hoping their bye week didn't sap the team's momentum after it won two straight games to pull out of its own four-game slide.

Jacksonville was an easy pick to win the AFC South after going to the AFC Championship game last winter but instead stumbled behind an offense that sits tied for 29th in scoring at an average of 16.8 points. "Trust is earned. It's not given, so at the end of the day, I'm going to do everything I can to get the players to trust what I'm doing is right," Jaguars coach Doug Marrone told reporters in reference to an offensive that dipped from first in rushing last season to 24th in 2018. "At the end of the day, they understand that when they do things well, there's a trust, and you can call the play again." Indianapolis scored at least 34 points in four of its last five games and got the defense to hold up its end long enough to knock off Buffalo and Oakland in the last two contests. "There's been a progression," Colts coach Frank Reich told reporters. "You like to establish your identity in Week 1 and you get that going right from the start. On offense it's taken us a few weeks to get that going, but right now we like where we're at. The guys up front are playing great."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Colts -3. O/U: 46.5

ABOUT THE JAGUARS (3-5): The offensive line is taking the blame for the poor rushing, and Marrone went as far as to call passing plays on six different instances of the team needing two or fewer yards in the fourth quarter of a 24-18 loss to Philadelphia on Oct. 28, but the absence of top rusher Leonard Fournette loomed large over the offense. Fournette, who has made a total of 20 rushing attempts this season while dealing with a hamstring injury, practiced in full on Wednesday and is expected to return this weekend. Fournette should take some pressure off quarterback Blake Bortles, who owns eight interceptions and five fumbles.

ABOUT THE COLTS (3-5): Quarterback play is what dragged Indianapolis out of its rut, as Andrew Luck threw for seven touchdowns and no interceptions in the last two games after being picked off five times in the previous two contests. Luck's success is directly tied to the success of the running game, and Marlon Mack totaled 258 yards and three TDs in the last two contests. "This season, when we've managed that balance we've done some good things as an offense and we'll continue to work at that," Luck told reporters. "I think we're believing in it now. I think we've proven it to ourselves that we can do it and that this is a winning formula. This is how you play complementary football."

EXTRA POINTS

1. Colts TE Eric Ebron leads the team in receiving yards (394) and touchdowns (seven).

2. Jaguars CB D.J. Hayden (toe) participated fully in practice this week and is expected to play.

3. Jacksonville took both meetings last season, including a 27-0 win at Indianapolis.

PREDICTION: Jaguars 24, Colts 17