Indianapolis Colts (5-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1)

           

                     Monday Night - October 22, 8:30 p.m. ET

Tony Dungy brings his defending Super Bowl Champion Colts to the hostile confines of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Monday night for a prime time battle of division supremacy in the AFC South. The Colts - undefeated this season - are coming off a bye week having had time to nurse wounds and devote extra preparation toward their game plan against Jacksonville.

The Jaguars - who have won four games in a row following a heartbreaking home opener loss to Tennessee - will face a Colts team that has won it's last 10 games, including all 4 postseason games last season. In a surprising move by Head Coach Jack Del Rio in September, the Jaguars released former 1st round pick quarterback Byron Leftwich and handed the reins to quarterback in waiting David Garrard. “I’ve only done things I thought were necessary to make us win," said Del Rio. "Every move has been made solely to help us win more games." Not being the flashy player that Leftwich was, Garrard's game has been toned down by offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, and with the guidance of quarterbacks coach Mike Shula, Garrard has been attentive to his mentoring, having yet to toss an interception this season.

Jacksonville on offense:

Look for the Jaguars to force their 4th best in the NFL run game early against the Colts. With the one-two punch of running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, the Jags have been inflicting their will on opponents while the dynamic duo is on a pace to collectively rush for 1,932 yards.

            
Jones-Drew is coming off a 125 yard rushing game against Houston last week, and has emerged as the Jaguars 3rd leading receiver having gained 260 all purpose yards in that performance.

With 29 yards rushing against the Colts Monday night Fred Taylor will cross the 1,000 yard rushing plateau against the Colts in only 12 games against them.

“We’re very happy to have an explosive combination in our backfield; a 1-2 punch like we have,” Del Rio said, referring to Jones-Drew and veteran Fred Taylor, who is 190 yards away from reaching the 10,000-yard rushing mark. “We think it’s important to have that explosive quality when one guy gets gassed or nicked,” Del Rio added.

                                           
   
While Garrard has thrown for only 1,069 yards this season, he has been meticulously effective completing 90 of 136 passes with 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions while accumulating a very respectable quarterback rating of 104.7 in the process. While neither receiver Dennis Northcutt or Marcedes Lewis is on a pace for 1,000 yards receiving in Jacksonville's run oriented offense, both will be dependable in clutch 3rd down chain moving situations against the Colts. Yet the Jaguars will be testing uncharted waters if forced into a game of catch-up.


Jacksonville on defense:

Defensive Coordinator Mike Smith - a contributing blueprint designer of the Baltimore Ravens defense - was brought in after defensive guru Jack Del Rio was promoted to Head Coach in January of 2003. In 2000, the Ravens' championship defense set NFL 16-game records for fewest points allowed (165) and fewest rushing yards allowed (970). It is no surprise that since that time he has built the Jaguars into one of the top defenses in the NFL in every category. The Jaguars defense has allowed only 200 yards total rushing in their last four games since that opening day loss to Tennessee.

While the Jaguars were foremost built on the premise of being a run stuff oriented unit they have - over the course of the season - morphed into a more complete package defense. Cornerbacks Brian Williams and Rashean Mathis are bringing recognition to the secondary, holding opposing offenses to an average of 208 yards a game passing.

                                       
Jacksonville's defense is number 2 in the NFL in points allowed, holding opponents to an average of 11.6 points per game while sacking the quarterback 15 times and forcing 5 fumbles, recovering four of them. The battle in the trenches - the Jaguars' defensive line vs the Colts' offensive line - will be the centerpiece key match-up of the game.

Indianapolis on offense:

Say what you will about the New England Patriots and their offense, but the Indianapolis Colts offensive line is quietly the best in the league. Heading into the Monday night game, the Colts line has allowed just 3 quarterback sacks, best in the NFL while opening running lanes and protecting the quarterback well enough for the offense to produce 17 touchdowns. Not bad for a unit that has only one Pro Bowl performer — center Jeff Saturday — and one rookie starter, second-round draft pick Tony Ugoh, at left offensive tackle. Still, the group that includes Saturday, Ugoh, left offensive guard Ryan Lilja, right offensive guard Jake Scott and right offensive tackle Ryan Diem comprise the backbone of a very potent Indianapolis offense.

Indianapolis’ running game — with second-year running back Joseph Addai and rookie running back Kenton Keith — is averaging 142 yards per game, 5th in the NFL and the Colts’ highest running average in 20 years.

All Kenton Keith ever wanted was a chance to prove that he belonged in the NFL. After rushing for a career-high 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Colts in his first league start, Keith — filling in for the injured Joseph Addai — now knows he’s where he should be.

The Colts passing game is arguably the best in the NFL and led By defending Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning. Manning is complimented by an arsenal of receivers including Pro Bowl receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, along with former Iowa consensus first team All-American tight end Dallas Clark. Rookie wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, the Colts’ first-round draft pick last spring, has been the starting slot receiver this season.

With Harrison sidelined with a sprained left knee, Anthony Gonzalez was thrown into the lineup as an outside receiver, along with regular starter Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark. He responded with a career high in receptions and yards with seven and 71, respectively, during Week 5's 33-14 win over Tampa Bay.

The Colts play a balanced offensive game that is 3rd in the NFL in points per game (32.8), and 3rd in the NFL in total yards per game (402.8).

Indianapolis on defense:

If there is such a thing as a weak link to the Indianapolis Colts, the closest thing that the Jaguars will find is the Colts give up an average of 105.4 yards per game rushing. Hardly a weakness as it rates 13th in the NFL, but that will be Jacksonville's target.

Against the Buccaneers, the Colts dominated the clock and their improving defense never gave Tampa Bay a chance in a 33-14 blowout in Week 5. Indy's defense held Tampa Bay to 177 yards, only 17 of that on the ground.

The 39 offensive plays run by Tampa matched the second-fewest ever allowed by a Colts team. The New York Jets had 34 in November 2003 and San Francisco had 39 in September 1963. When asked about the lopsided loss, Bucs coach Jon Gruden replied "You do the math there. You're not able to do a lot when you don't have the ball." The Colts defense held the Bucs to numerous 3-and-out drives.

A stingy Colts defense with interceptions by 6 different players will present little opportunity for David Garrard to play catch-up.

For The Colts To Win They Must:

1) Find a way to stop Jacksonville's running game. Taylor ran nine times for 131yards against Indianapolis last December, including a 76 yard sprint on Jacksonville’s first play of the game. Jones-Drew added a career-high 166 yards on 15 carries. Even seldom-used running back Alvin Pearman had 71 yards on the ground.

2) Win the time of possession battle. If the Colts best in the NFL offensive line can hold off Jacksonville's strong defensive front 7 and establish clock control with long time-consuming drives, the Jags will be forced to abandon their running game to play catch-up. Simply put - if the Jaguars control the clock, they will control the scoreboard. The best defense against Drew-Jones & Taylor is to keep them off the field.

3) Create miss-matches against Jacksonville's linebackers. Tight end Dallas Clark and slot receiver Anthony Gonzalez need to be utilized to their fullest potential in short yard pass situations. Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne will have their opportunities in 3rd down situations, but relentless pressure from Jacksonville will force Manning into 1 - 3 step quick release passes.

For The Jaguars To Win They Must:

1) Have success in the passing game. Garrard has been playing methodically mistake free as a passer this season since his elevation to starter and must continue so against the Colts. He must wisely take his chances down the field to keep Indy from stacking the box and stifling the Jaguars superior running game. If Garrard can keep Indy's defense spread out, then the ground game will flourish.

2) Keep pressuring Manning. He is one of the very best in the game at calmly checking down receivers. If allowed to take five step drops and survey the field, he will pick apart the Jaguars' secondary all night. Cornerbacks Brian Williams and Rashean Mathis can play the Colts receivers tight from the line of scrimmage if the guys up front apply constant pressure on Manning and force him into quick passes into a crowd.

3) Win the Special Teams battles. Field position is crucial against the arsenal of offensive weapons that Indianapolis possesses. Maurice Jones-Drew, the second-year player is averaging 26.5 yards per kick return this year with a season longest of 42 yards. He has the ability to be a difference-maker as he was in last December's game against the Colts with a 93-yard touchdown sprint in Week 14. The Jaguars cut under-achieving punter Chris Hanson after last season and spent their 4th round pick on four-time All-American Adam Podlesh. He is averaging over 40 yards per punt this season and has yet to boot one into the end zone for a touchback.