Jaguars at Colts
THE STORY: As the last remaining winless team in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts remain the leader in the clubhouse for next year's No. 1 draft pick – otherwise known as the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. That could all change this Sunday when the Colts host the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars in what looks to be a prime chance for them to break into the win column. Indianapolis has dominated the Jaguars in the past nine seasons – albeit with Peyton Manning under center – by winning 13 of the last 18 meetings. Jacksonville’s punchless offense will look to exploit the Colts’ woeful defense.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Jaguars -3, O/U 38.5
ABOUT THE JAGUARS (2-6): Jacksonville, which is coming off a bye week, has struggled offensively with rookie QB Blaine Gabbert. The Jaguars are the only team that has yet to score 100 points for the season and are averaging a league-worst 12.3 per game. RB Maurice Jones-Drew is sixth in the league with 740 yards rushing, but the passing attack is averaging a dreadful 123.6 yards per game. Jacksonville has shown some moxie in taking the Steelers to the wire at Pittsburgh and beating Baltimore prior to a 24-14 loss at Houston entering the bye.
ABOUT THE COLTS (0-9): Indianapolis was knocking on the door of its first win for four straight weeks until it was stampeded 62-7 at New Orleans on Oct. 23, kicking off a disastrous three-game stretch in which the Colts have been outscored by a staggering 120-24 margin. Indy absorbed its worst home defeat in 14 years in last week’s 31-7 beating by Atlanta. The Colts managed a mere 186 yards of offense and scored their only touchdown on Jerraud Powers’ interception return. QB Curtis Painter threw for 98 yards and an interception before he was replaced by Dan Orlovsky.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. The Colts have surrendered 31.4 points per game, nearly 3 1/2 points high than any other club.
2. In its four road losses, Jacksonville has scored 40 points and a total of four touchdowns.
3. Colts DE Dwight Freeney has nine of his 98.5 career sacks against the Jaguars. He needs 1.5 to become the 26th player in league history to reach 100.