The Indianapolis Colts have nothing to play for this week and the players know where to point — at themselves.
The Colts complete their fourth consecutive non-playoff season on Sunday when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars in a battle of AFC South squads.
The Jaguars (4-12) have long been eliminated from playoff contention in a truly disappointing campaign. Indianapolis (7-9) was in the mix until sustaining an embarrassing 45-33 road loss to the New York Giants last week.
Colts star linebacker Zaire Franklin, the NFL’s leading tackler with 165, made it clear that a team doesn’t lose a game like that if it is truly a playoff squad. The Giants, who were averaging a league-worst 14.3 points per game, more than tripled their average.
“It’s embarrassing. It’s disappointing. We got flat-out beat,” Franklin said. “The performance we put out defensively, just beyond unacceptable. You can’t play like that when you’re planning on being a playoff team. So we ain’t a playoff team.”
The Colts hope to have quarterback Anthony Richardson back on the field after he missed the game against New York due to severe back pain. Indianapolis didn’t rule Richardson out until Saturday but Richardson told reporters Wednesday that he could barely stand up or walk and had to crawl around the house on Dec. 24.
“I’ve been dealing with stuff like this since about eighth grade, but it’s never been this severe,” Richardson said. “It was definitely a little scary last week, not being able to move. But, like I said, I’m standing up now and I’m looking forward to playing this week if I can.”
Richardson was the only Indianapolis player listed as a non-participant in Wednesday’s walkthrough.
The fourth overall choice in the 2023 NFL Draft has struggled with his accuracy and completed just 47.7 percent of his passes with 12 interceptions. He also has thrown eight touchdowns, ran for six more and has a 6-5 record as a starter this season.
Richardson sat out with an oblique injury when the Colts lost 37-34 to the host Jaguars in Week 5. Joe Flacco started and passed for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Star running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle) also missed the game. Taylor ranks seventh in the NFL with 1,254 rushing yards while playing in 13 games.
As for the Jaguars, they are looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Jacksonville posted a 20-13 home victory over the Tennessee Titans last week.
Quarterback Mac Jones, who is 2-4 as a starter this season, again starts in place of Trevor Lawrence (left shoulder surgery). Jones said he plans to leave the field with a victory.
“You definitely want to put your best foot forward and control what you can control,” Jones said. “For me, just keep it simple this week. A lot of distractions, a lot of this and that. But the challenge for everybody and for me is to focus on doing my part and then from there, it should take care of itself.”
The contest could be the final game for Jaguars coach Doug Pederson. He is 22-28 with the team and went 9-8 in each of his first two seasons before the club fell on hard times this season with 10 losses in its first 12 games.
Jacksonville defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, who had three sacks against Tennessee, said the atmosphere is good around the team despite the underachieving season.
“We’re looking to finish this on a positive note,” Hines-Allen said. “We’re not playing for a playoff game, so there’s frustration there. But we want to make it 2-0 (to end the season). If we can do that going into next season, it’s a good starting point.”
Left tackle Walker Little (ankle) was the lone Jacksonville player to miss practice on Wednesday.
The Jaguars have won three straight and five of the past six meetings.
–Field Level Media
