The Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5) are finally back from their bye week and will battle the division rival Indianapolis Colts (5-4) on Sunday with Nick Foles back on the field.  

In their previous matchup, the Jaguars struggled against the Houston Texans, falling 26-3 in London.

Quarterback Nick Foles will make his first appearance since Week 1 when he suffered a broken collarbone. Since then, rookie sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew II has been under center for the Jaguars.

The Colts, on the other hand, have been sliding in the standings recently. Consecutive losses to the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers have knocked them out of the lead in the AFC South. Fortunately for them, quarterback Jacoby Brissett will be returning from a knee injury sustained three weeks ago.

What to watch for

Return of the Mack

The Jaguars’ run defense has been notoriously bad this season. The team has given up 120.2 rushing yards per game so far, including 216 against Houston two weeks ago.

With the Colts missing key receivers T.Y. Hilton and Zach Pascal, they will be relying more heavily on Marlon Mack and the ground game. Mack is currently ninth in the NFL in rushing yards (753). 

This is the perfect opportunity for the Jaguars to show improvement and shut down what is likely to be the primary game plan for the Colts.

Foles is back, tell a friend

Jacksonville’s big free agent acquisition this offseason is finally getting his chance to get some playing time this season. The quarterback broke his collarbone in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Jaguars head coaching staff had a tough decision to make after Minshew exceeded expectations in his eight weeks as the team’s starting quarterback.

Foles will now have a chance to validate the four-year $88M contract he inked in the previous offseason.

The game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. 

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