Indianapolis @ Jacksonville preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 11, 2018 ) Jacksonville 26, Indianapolis 29

The Jacksonville Jaguars are busy imploding, leaving the AFC South a two-team race between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans, with the Tennessee Titans lurking in the background. The Colts will try to take advantage of the sliding Jaguars and earn another division victory when they host the matchup on Sunday.

Indianapolis got off to a slow start but ripped off wins in each of the last five games to pull within two games of the Texans (8-3) with five to play, including a trip to Houston scheduled for Week 14. "We went through some things (earlier in the season)," Colts coach Frank Reich told reporters after a 27-24 win over Miami last week. "We didn't make some of those plays as a team. I just feel like we've come so far to all make the plays. Now, Andrew (Luck) is directing the ship, and he's the one pulling the trigger, but it was everybody in that. That's what you expect from Andrew and from our offense." The Jaguars are streaking in the opposite direction with seven consecutive losses following a 3-1 start and finally made the decision to bench quarterback Blake Bortles this week. "It's not a knee-jerk reaction," Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone told reporters. "I really feel like at the end of the day we've got to try to get better production out of our passing game or more consistent production in our passing game."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Colts -4. O/U: 47.5

ABOUT THE COLTS (6-5): Luck's re-emergence as a premier quarterback after several injury-marred seasons is the driving force behind Indianapolis' climb into the playoff race. The former No. 1 overall pick completed 30-of-37 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns against the Bills, leading the Colts back from a 10-point, fourth quarter deficit. "You've got to learn how to find a way when it's not easy and when it doesn't seem to be your night," Luck told reporters. "We certainly have things to clean up. I certainly have things to clean up. That won't get lost in the fact that we won. We're happy. We're excited. We'll never apologize for a win, but we've got to improve. That's the beauty of this game. We'll keep the same mindset, and we'll get back to work."

ABOUT THE JAGUARS (3-8): Jacksonville will start Cody Kessler at quarterback on Sunday and are giving him a new play caller in quarterback coach Scott Milanovich, who takes over after offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was fired on Monday. "I knew Doug had thought about it," Hackett told NFL Network. "I guess the football Gods had it out for me. We started off hot, had so many injuries, we were a completely different team. Guys busted their butts, but you can only do so much. I wish I could've figured something out." The Jaguars are 28th in the league in scoring offense (17.9 points) and 22nd in average passing yardage (232.3).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette was suspended one game by the NFL for a fight with Bills DE Shaq Lawson last week.

2. The Colts placed TE Jack Doyle on IR Monday after he suffered a kidney injury in last week's win.

3. Luck threw for 285 yards and three TDs in a 29-26 home win over Jacksonville on Nov. 11.

PREDICTION: Colts 31, Jaguars 24