Round two: Jaguars get opportunity to sweep division rival Indianapolis Colts in Week 6

When the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) take on the Indianapolis Colts (2-2-1) Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, it will be an opportunity for the team to sweep a divisional opponent for the first time since 2017 and the second time since 2013 (Houston Texans).

The game is set to take place at 1 p.m. on CBS and WJXL 1010AM/92.5 FM on the radio.

It's not the end-all-be-all game of the season, but the downward momentum Jacksonville has after two-straight losses can be flipped in the blink of an eye.

More Jaguars coverage:

• 'Stop the run': Jaguars look to repeat formula that got them shutout win over Colts in Week 2

• 'Home run threat': Travis Etienne growing in Jaguars offense, ready for breakout game

• Always at the ready: Jaguars offensive lineman Tyler Shatley gets plugged back in again

Since the two teams faced off in Week 2, their respective trajectories have shifted course.

The Jaguars upset the Los Angeles Chargers on the road in Week 3, while dropping their next two games to the Philadelphia Eagles (Week 4) and Texans (Week 5), while the Colts went on to upset the Kansas City Chiefs (Week 3), taking a loss the following week against the Tennessee Titans, and defeating the Denver Broncos in Week 5.

"Although we did play them, we have to prepare as though this is a brand new week, this is a brand new team," Jaguars receiver Zay Jones said. "We gotta kind of recharge the batteries a little bit. Come with a great game plan. Can't take anyone lightly in this league as we've learned from last week."

Jaguars anticipating a similar, but better Indy team

It's only been a month since the Jaguars last played the Colts. Jacksonville still has the memories of shutting out their division rival, and the same goes for the Colts as they look to seek revenge, but at their home stadium this time.

Though the Jaguars were the better team in Week 2, a lot has changed since then. There have been three games since — that's three games for the Colts defense to settle in and get better in their preparation — and the same goes for the team's offense. Quarterback Matt Ryan is more familiar with his skill players and the system.

Indianapolis has allowed just 96.6 yards per game on the ground, good for fourth in the league. Against the Jaguars in Week 2, the team allowed 96 yards. The Jaguars' lead back, James Robinson, carried the ball 23 times for 64 yards and a touchdown, an average of 2.8 yards per carry.

The scheme used by Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley hasn't changed, and there's not much variation to his Cover-3 defense.

"I think for them it’s just three more games of them being able to execute their defense over and over and play coverages, match routes, and see combinations of people going to attack them," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said earlier this week.

"Going back to one of the other questions, when a team plays a certain coverage over and over and over, they have a good feel for how teams are trying to attack it, where everybody feels the weak spots are."

Ryan's improvement has come during the fourth quarter of contests. The veteran QB is currently ranked 13th in ANY/A (average net yards per attempt) at 6.77 in the fourth quarter this season. He has completed 42 of 65 passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions.

That's one area of improvement Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell has seen from the Colts offense.

"He’s getting the ball out real quick, so they’re evolving as a team, and  it’s a big challenge for us," Caldwell said this week.

Colts slap 'questionable' tag on RB Jonathan Taylor

The first time the two teams met, the Colts got away from their bell-cow back, Jonathan Taylor. One of the top backs in the league over the past couple of seasons, Taylor ran the ball just nine times for 54 yards and didn't really get going until a 21-yard gain at the end of the third quarter.

Taylor missed last week's contest against the Broncos due to an ankle injury and practiced on a limited basis this week, with the Colts stating Friday he is questionable to play, typically a destination that means a player has a 50-50 shot to suit up.

Even with Taylor questionable to play, the Jaguars are anticipating a heavy dose of whichever running back does get the nod.

The Colts ruled out just two players for Sunday's game: linebacker Shaquille Leonard (concussion/nose/back) and defensive end Kwity Paye (ankle). Leonard did not play during the team's first matchup due to a back injury.

The Colts' other RB, Nyheim Hines (concussion) is also questionable to play, though he practiced in full on Friday.

Regardless of who plays RB, the Jaguars are bracing for a heavy dose of the team's ground attack, something they're looking to rebound against heading into Sunday's matchup.

Trevor Lawrence must have bounce-back game

Last week's game against the Texans wasn't as bad as it was made out to be for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but given the team scored just six points there's plenty to be desired from the team's first-overall pick in 2021.

Lawrence has been the subject of plenty of critiques this week by fans and experts alike. But the team isn't worried about the signal-caller not living up to the expectations set for him when he was drafted out of Clemson.

"That’s two games in a 17-game season that he, like I said, he and the offense has not performed the way we expect them to perform and we’re all in it together," Taylor said. "It’s not Trevor alone that struggled, we all struggled as a unit. Anytime your defense holds somebody to 13 points, you can’t score enough to win, you take a lot of responsibility and ownership of that."

The Jaguars' offense accounted for five drops, a costly red zone penalty and a red zone interception that effectively knocked the team out of the game. Against the Colts, that'll have to be cleaned up.

Jaguars enter game a bit banged up, not much of a concern

On Friday, the Jaguars listed five players — receiver Marvin Jones Jr. (hamstring), defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi (quadriceps), defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton (foot), linebacker Foye Oluokun (calf) and receiver Zay Jones (ankle) — as questionable to play.

Last week, Fatukasi missed the contest due to a quad injury he suffered during the team's Week 4 loss to the Eagles. Though he is listed as questionable, it would be surprising to see him suit up.

Earlier this week, the Jaguars signed defensive tackle Corey Peters from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster on a permanent basis. Peters filled in for Fatukasi against the Texans after being elevated temporarily from the practice squad to the active game-day roster.

As for Hamilton, Oluokun and Zay Jones, they should be able to suit up. The only question mark at the moment is Marvin Jones, who was added to the injury report on Friday.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at 1 p.m.