Colts vs. Jaguars: 5 things to know in Week 1
Regular season football is officially back, and the Indianapolis Colts start their 2023 season against the reigning AFC South division winners.
The Jacksonville Jaguars return to Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 10, to defend their crown.
Indianapolis has a new coaching staff, quarterback, and team identity built around youth. It’s all hands on deck as the team looks to win its first game in the Shane Steichen era.
Here are five things to know entering the Week 1 matchup:
The Colts haven't won the division since 2014
There’s a lot of excitement around this version of the Colts. The coaching staff has nine new faces and a new franchise quarterback, and the team has the third youngest roster in the league. However, something can’t get lost in the euphoria: the Colts haven’t won the division since 2014.
Transparently, that is a very tough ask of such a young team. It would take at least nine to ten wins to secure the division and stellar play from quarterback Anthony Richardson. It’s lofty expectations, but if the organization wants to return to its dominant brand of football, it can start by taking advantage of the four division games in its first six matchups of the season.
Josh Downs is exactly who the Colts thought he was
Something that is not being talked about enough is that rookie Josh Downs won the offseason. General manager Chris Ballard raved about how Downs fell to the team in the 3rd round (a player they tried for 30 minutes to trade up to get) and was so excited for the type of player they were getting.
Downs developed a rapport with Richardson during rookie mini-camp and never looked back. With his nifty footwork and impressive separation, Downs slowly worked his way up the depth chart, eventually overtaking veteran Isaiah McKenzie for the slot receiver role, a jump the team confirmed yesterday with the release of the Week 1 unofficial depth chart.
The wide receiver room will be tested
Speaking of depth charts, the team has just four wide receivers listed on the 53-man roster: Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Downs, and McKenzie. With Ashton Dulin out for the season, no other receivers are on the active roster. A move like this almost feels unprecedented for the team and impacts capabilities if anyone goes down with an injury.
Still, there’s hope. The team has five receivers stashed on the practice squad, including fan favorite Mike Strachan, who has shown flashes in pre-season of years past. Also, fans should remember that this isn’t the final version of the active roster. It will shift over the next few weeks as the team looks to have the best players at each position.
Every running back not named Johnathan Taylor is needed
With the standoff between Jonathan Taylor and the Colts still going and Taylor on the PUP list, the weight of the team’s rushing attack falls on the remaining backs on the roster. Steichen confirmed to the media on Monday that it will be a running back by committee approach.
“With anything, whoever’s got the hot hand – let them ride a little bit and go with that. We’ll rotate those guys in, see where everyone is at, and like I said, we’ll ride with the hot hand.”
Steichen’s comments aren’t a surprise, but they say the unspoken: replacing Taylor’s production takes a lot. Also, with Zack Moss still returning from injury and unconfirmed for Sunday’s game, the running back room has less help against a Jaguars defense that ranked 12th in the league against the run last season.
Patience is needed for the cornerback room
Dallis Flowers and Darrell Baker Jr. have reached the top of the depth charts. The move is unsurprising, given that Ballard is high on flowers and is betting on his development. Baker has fully taken advantage of his opportunity to make the roster.
That said, the cornerback room outside of Kenny Moore II only has four starts and is full of rookies who will have to learn quickly. Patience is needed as they will have their hands full with Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and perhaps Evan Engram. During the last two matchups against the Colts, Kirk had ten receptions for 102 yards and three touchdowns.
