What if the colts and jaguars both lose

The Colts need to come out firing early. The Jaguars are down and the Colts need to capitalize. I've always said don't let a team worse than you hang around as it will only give it hope that it can beat you.

If you bury the opponent early, you can cruise to a victory in the end. Indianapolis jumped out to a lead at the half in Week 3 and need to do the same, if not score a little more. If the Colts can score on one or both of their first two possessions, they will win this football game. The Jaguars are down and looking for ways to lose. Nothing is more demoralizing that getting behind early on national TV when you've only won one game this season. The Jaguars are a bad football team, and it's crucial the Colts jump out to a lead early.

This ties into my first slide as the Colts need to get the crowd out of the game early. It sounds weird talking about getting a Jaguars crowd out of the game early as their fanbase is dwindling down to nothing. They've failed to sell out a game in forever and have been rumored the last several seasons to be moving. The fans are in dismay down there as they don't trust the GM, coach or any of the players on this team. But, the hype will be around before the game as they get to play against an AFC South divisional opponent and see Andrew Luck for the first time.

They also are on primetime in an NFL Network game and have their lone win against the Colts this season. Like I stated in the first slide, nothing is more demoralizing than beating those expectations from your opposition and their fans early in the game.

A touchdown early and jumping out to a two-possession lead in the first quarter silences the fans. They may expect to win, but in the back of their minds they know what can really happen. It's imperative the Colts exploit that and get out early to silence the crowd. That's the best recipe for a road victory on national TV in primetime. If you allow the crowd hope, then the team thinks it has hope. There's a reason there's so many upset wins in night games.

Eliminate that factor early. The Colts had the game won in Week 3 against the Jags. They were up and did everything right in the first half. It looked like the Jaguars didn't belong on the same field as them. Even with a Maurice Jones-Drew touchdown on their first possession of the second half, the feel was still the Colts would come out victorious.

It wasn't until the lucky Cecil Shorts touchdown that gave the Jaguars the late lead and deciding score did the feel of a guaranteed win turn to dismay and anger. That can't happen Thursday night. Just seal it off when you have the chance and cruise to a win. Indianapolis headed into today's Week 17 games on the outside looking in for a spot in the AFC postseason picture, needing a win over the Jaguars, coupled with a loss by one of four teams, to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

The Dolphins were one of those four teams the Colts needed to lose, and that's exactly what they did, falling to the Bills in Orchard Park, N.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Needing a Browns loss to the Steelers, Cleveland used a big second half and won, Stay tuned to Colts. Despite being double teamed at a high rate, DeForest Buckner is still finding ways to make a tremendous impact for the Colts this season. Smith suffered an elbow injury in Week 9 against the Jets, while Hilton suffered a concussion in Week 8 against the Titans.

Irsay was honored for the impact "Kicking The Stigma" is making on mental health awareness in Indiana and across the United States. In a game that was never close, Geno Smith was able to ride his elite receiving corps to a win. Lawrence dropped back to pass 55 times, yet only had yards.

Unfortunately, James Robinson suffered an ankle injury early on and didn't return. Bad day. Two players named Josh Allen in this contest, but the Jaguars' one took over, with a sack and an interception to help set the pace. Buffalo only scoring six points is a massive win for Jacksonville's D.

We'll see who's even healthy for the San Francisco 49ers by the time this game arrives. Maybe it will even be a battle between rookie quarterbacks, if Trey Lance ever gets his chance. The 49ers have a better coaching staff and more playmakers on both sides of the ball. See where the Jaguars rank in our latest NFL power rankings.

Notorious for blowing big leads, Atlanta has a long way to go to exorcise those demons. Kyle Pitts has helped the offense and Matt Ryan is still rockin'. We could see a shootout in Jacksonville, but we'll take Matty Ice's experience. The Rams represent what the Jaguars probably aspire to be in some form or fashion.

The Indianapolis Colts try to reach the. The Colts beat the New York Jets in last week's Thursday night game and — while the Tennessee Titans continued the roll — got a little help with their playoff hopes through a series of upsets. Jacksonville provided one of those surprises, edging the Buffalo Bills The Jaguars forced 3 Buffalo turnovers to overcome their own lack of offense.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence keeps going through the common rookie issues. Oh, baby: Why Wentz will play even if second child is being born at same time. Rush: Colts rookie Kwity Paye, still looking for first sack, might be turning the corner.