timvp
10-01-2004, 12:36 PM
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Ticker) -- The Indianapolis Colts return to the place where they suffered their only regular season road loss last year when they visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in a battle of AFC South rivals.
ALLTELL Stadium also happens to be the site of Super Bowl XXXIX so Peyton Manning hopes this will be the first of two visits here for the Colts.
But the Jaguars may be thinking Super Bowl as well after getting off to a 3-0 start despite scoring a total of 35 points. Of course, they have allowed just 28.
Last November 16 here, the Jaguars rallied from a 20-7 deficit to upset the Colts, 28-23. Fred Taylor rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns - the second a 32-yard run with just 1:08 left.
Byron Leftwich sparked the comeback by passing for a touchdown and running for a score in the second half.
Manning threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted twice.
The Colts had won the first meeting, 23-13, at Indianapolis as Reggie Wayne caught 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor also rushed for more than 100 yards in that game, producing 126 on 17 carries.
On Sunday, Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy will probably stack the box in an attempt to stop Taylor.
"It makes sense to keep giving it to Fred," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "They are going to have to prove they can slow him down before we quit giving it to him."
"Fred takes a lot of pressure off everybody in this offense," Leftwich said.
Last week, Taylor's one-yard run with nine seconds left lifted the Jaguars to a 15-12 victory at Tennessee. It marked the third straight week that Jacksonville made key plays in the final minute to earn a win.
In a season-opening 13-10 victory at Buffalo, rookie receiver Ernest Wilford made a leaping catch in the end zone on the game's final play. On September 19,, Jaguars linebacker Akin Ayodele recovered a fumble by Quentin Griffin at the Jacksonville 21 with 31 seconds left to preserve a 7-6 victory over the Denver Broncos .
While Taylor ran effectively against the Colts, Jacksonville's defense held Edgerrin James to 120 yards on 42 carries in the two games. With first-round picks Marcus Stroud and John Henderson at the defensive tackle positions, the Jaguars went 17 straight games without allowing an opposing back to rush for 100 yards before Tennessee's Chris Brown gained 101 yards last week.
But Jacksonville's secondary will be in for quite a test. Manning threw for 320 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone in the Colts' 45-31 win over Green Bay last week. It marked the first time a quarterback threw for five touchdowns in a half since Minnesota's Tommy Kramer in 1986.
While the Packers' secondary rotated towards Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison , Wayne set career-highs with 11 receptions for 184 yards.
Matchup to watch: Wayne faces left cornerback Rashean Mathis .
ALLTELL Stadium also happens to be the site of Super Bowl XXXIX so Peyton Manning hopes this will be the first of two visits here for the Colts.
But the Jaguars may be thinking Super Bowl as well after getting off to a 3-0 start despite scoring a total of 35 points. Of course, they have allowed just 28.
Last November 16 here, the Jaguars rallied from a 20-7 deficit to upset the Colts, 28-23. Fred Taylor rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns - the second a 32-yard run with just 1:08 left.
Byron Leftwich sparked the comeback by passing for a touchdown and running for a score in the second half.
Manning threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted twice.
The Colts had won the first meeting, 23-13, at Indianapolis as Reggie Wayne caught 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor also rushed for more than 100 yards in that game, producing 126 on 17 carries.
On Sunday, Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy will probably stack the box in an attempt to stop Taylor.
"It makes sense to keep giving it to Fred," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "They are going to have to prove they can slow him down before we quit giving it to him."
"Fred takes a lot of pressure off everybody in this offense," Leftwich said.
Last week, Taylor's one-yard run with nine seconds left lifted the Jaguars to a 15-12 victory at Tennessee. It marked the third straight week that Jacksonville made key plays in the final minute to earn a win.
In a season-opening 13-10 victory at Buffalo, rookie receiver Ernest Wilford made a leaping catch in the end zone on the game's final play. On September 19,, Jaguars linebacker Akin Ayodele recovered a fumble by Quentin Griffin at the Jacksonville 21 with 31 seconds left to preserve a 7-6 victory over the Denver Broncos .
While Taylor ran effectively against the Colts, Jacksonville's defense held Edgerrin James to 120 yards on 42 carries in the two games. With first-round picks Marcus Stroud and John Henderson at the defensive tackle positions, the Jaguars went 17 straight games without allowing an opposing back to rush for 100 yards before Tennessee's Chris Brown gained 101 yards last week.
But Jacksonville's secondary will be in for quite a test. Manning threw for 320 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone in the Colts' 45-31 win over Green Bay last week. It marked the first time a quarterback threw for five touchdowns in a half since Minnesota's Tommy Kramer in 1986.
While the Packers' secondary rotated towards Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison , Wayne set career-highs with 11 receptions for 184 yards.
Matchup to watch: Wayne faces left cornerback Rashean Mathis .