The Jacksonville Jaguars had their worst game of the season in Week 3, and the Indianapolis Colts had their best showing of the year. Now the two teams meet in Week 4 for a division game that has usually produced interesting results in the past.
Colts vs. Jaguars 2013 game preview: Can Jacksonville pick up first win of 2013?
Blaine Gabbert is 3-1 in his career against the Colts. Will his record hold up in Week 4?
Mike Ehrmann
Meet the Jaguars
The Jaguars are making a strong case to be the worst team in the NFL. Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne have been equally terrible, and the offense hasn't been able to get off the ground in any of the Jags' three games. Maurice Jones-Drew finally found the end zone last week, but Jacksonville's offense has been tough to watch.
Lost in the Jaguars' struggles this season has been the fact that the defense has shown flashes of being a respectable unit. The secondary has struggled, but the front seven has been slowing down opposing running games each week. Jacksonville's next test will be Trent Richardson.
Meet the Colts
The Colts are going for it. Last week, Indianapolis traded a first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Richardson. A few days later, the Colts traveled to San Francisco to take on the 49ers and dominated them, 27-7. If that's the Colts team that is going to show up consistently, the AFC South could be Indy's for the taking.
The Colts have started to resemble a smash-mouth team with two running backs who complement one another well and a physical defense. They slowed down San Francisco’s running game in Week 3 after looking like a sieve in the first two weeks of the season. It now becomes a question of which Colts defense will show up each week.
Local Takes: Jaguars
Adam Stites from Big Cat Country had this to say about the upcoming game:
Is there a more logical team for the Jaguars to be surprisingly competitive with than the Colts? In Blaine Gabbert's tumultuous career he's accumulated a 5-20 record as a starter, but a 3-1 record against Indianapolis. In fact, in the last three seasons, the Jaguars have come away with wins in four of the six matchups between the two teams.
Local Takes: Colts
Matt Grecco from Stampede Blue had these comments on the matchup.
Everything here points to a comfortable Colts victory, and Vegas would agree with their 9 point spread. However I’ve seen enough of these games over the years that I expect the unexpected to happen, the Jaguars just kind of hang around, and the Colts put the game away late.
Follow the Fun
Be sure to check out SB Nation’s team blogs, Big Cat Country and Stampede Blue, for more analysis and highlights from the game.
Add these fine follows to your Twitter timeline:
@BigCatCountry (Jaguars)
@JohnOehser (Jaguars)
@StampedeBlue (Colts)
@mchappell51 (Colts)
Prediction
Trap game? Maybe? I know I said last week to beware of big spreads, but big spreads against the Jaguars are justified this season.
The pick: Colts
Odds
The Colts are favored by nine points, according to Odds Shark.
Next Week
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