Colts have Luck, momentum on their side vs. Jaguars

The Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars are heading in opposite directions as they prepare to meet Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Colts (6-5) have won five games in a row and they are tied for the second wild-card playoff berth in the AFC. The Jaguars (3-8) have lost seven straight, but are hoping changes they made this week at offensive coordinator and quarterback will help them salvage some respectability in the rest of the season.

Both teams' performances are due in large part to how their offenses, and in particular their quarterbacks, have played.

Indianapolis' streak has been fueled by a return to form of Andrew Luck, who looks like his old self after missing all of last season due to a shoulder injury.

Colts coach Frank Reich told the team's official website that Luck is "doing everything that you would think an MVP player would do."

Reich cited "the string of games he's put together playing at a high level, (and) helping win the kind of games that we've won, and just the level of consistency week in and week out."

Luck was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November. One of Indianapolis' three wins during the month was a 29-26 home triumph against the Jaguars in which Luck completed 21 of 29 passes for 285 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

So far this season, Luck has thrown for 3,112 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has completed 68.4 percent of his passes and has been sacked only 11 times.

On the other side, Jacksonville's offense and team are in the midst of a major shakeup with five games to play.

On Monday, the day after a 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and turned the play-calling duties over to quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich. He also benched quarterback Blake Bortles in favor of Cody Kessler.

Jacksonville, which ranks 28th in the league in scoring, 22nd in yards and 27th in turnovers, will play Sunday without star running back Leonard Fournette, who is serving a one-game suspension for his role in a fight during the loss to Buffalo.

So all eyes will be on Kessler as he tries to put Jacksonville in a position to slow down luck and Indianapolis.

"It's a great opportunity," Kessler told the Jaguars' team website. "It's tough to get opportunities in this league."

Bortles has started Jacksonville's last 72 regular-season games. Kessler is a third-year QB who has played in 13 NFL games, going 0-8 as a starter in his rookie season in Cleveland. He had six touchdown passes and two interceptions.

"I expect us to sling the ball around," wide receiver Dede Westbrook said on the Jaguars website. "That's the type of quarterback he is. I expect him to throw it as hard as ever. He's got a cannon for an arm, so we should be ready for that."

In his only action this season, Kessler, acquired in an offseason trade with the Browns, replaced Bortles during the Jaguars' 20-7 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 7. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 156 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

"As a competitor, I am excited," Kessler told the website. "Getting these guys to really play for me is something that I really want to prove this week and show them I am ready to go. I don't really care about the record. I want to go out there and ball and just have some fun."

Starting defensive backs Jalen Ramsey (knee) and Tashaun Gipson (ankle) are two of seven Jaguars listed as questionable, after both practiced just once -- on a limited basis Friday -- this week.

The Colts will be without center Ryan Kelly (knee) and tight end Mo Alie-Cox (calf) for the second consecutive week. Wideout T.Y. Hilton and tight end Eric Ebron will play after practicing Thursday and Friday.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)