23-year old rookie QB Andrew Luck is getting a week to rest up as the Colts are on a bye this Sunday.  He has played in all 3 games for the Colts so far this year and he has completed 65 of 122 passes (53.3%) for 846 yards with 5 TD passes and 4 INTs (75.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 10 times for 80 yards (8.0 ypc) so far this year.  If the Colts could run the ball a little better (90.3 yards per game, 3.7 yards per carry), it would take a lot of pressure off of Luck.  That being said, I have been pretty impressed with Luck so far this year.

26-year old LB Jarrell Freeman is really stepping up for the Colts so far this year.  He has played in 3 games for the Colts so far this year and he has 27 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he has returned for a TD.  Freeman was a little talked about addition to the Colts in the off-season.  He played his first three years of professional football in Canada with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders.  He led the CFL in tackles in 2011.  The Colts hope that Freeman keeps rolling as the year wears on.

The Colts have signed 26-year old CB Darius Butler.  Butler played in 13 games for the Carolina Panthers last year and he had 32 tackles and 7 passes defensed.  He has now played in 42 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 90 tackles, 21 passes defensed and 3 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  The Colts were lucky to find a guy like Butler still sitting on the couch at this point in the year.

28-year old Donnie Avery and 22-year old rookie T.Y. Hilton will have bigger roles on the offense moving forward due to Austin Collie’s season ending injury.  Avery looks all the way back after dealing with knee issues the last couple of years.  He has played in all 3 games for the Colts so far this year and he has caught 14 passes for 176 yards (12.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  T.Y Hilton has played in two games for the Colts so far this year and he has caught 5 passes for 128 yards (25.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Hilton has also returned 5 punts for 40 yards (8.0 avg) and 2 kickoffs for 45 yards (22.5 avg) so far this year.  I think the Colts’ passing game is in good hands as Avery and Hilton are both really talented WRs.

The Indianapolis Colts have lost 26-year old WR Austin Collie for the rest of the 2012 season due to a ruptured right patella tendon.  Collie played in 1 game for the Colts this year and he caught 1 pass for 6 yards.  Collie has now played in 42 games in his first four years with the Colts and he has caught 173 passes for 1,845 yards (10.7 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  This is going to hurt Andrew Luck a little bit as Collie has good hands and isn’t afraid of going over the middle of the field.

The Colts choked on D in this game late and it cost them.  Andrew Luck was pretty effective despite not being too accurate in this game as he completed 22 of 46 passes for 313 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 50 yards (12.5 ypc) in this game.  Donald Brown carried the load on the ground for the Colts in this game with 18 carries for 62 yards (3.4 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 39 yards.  Vick Ballard could only muster 5 carries for 12 yards (2.4 ypc) in this game.  Mewelde Moore pitched in with 2 carries for 0 yards and 1 catch for a 4-yard TD.  Rookie WR T.Y. Hilton led the way in the passing game for the Colts with 4 grabs for 113 yards (28.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Reggie Wayne (8 rec, 88 yards) and TE Dwayne Allen (5 rec, 35 yards) also pitched in for the Colts in the passing game.  The Colts finished up with 124 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 46 passes (47.8%) for 313 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:24.

The defense had a rough day overall for the Colts.  LBs Jerrell Freeman (9 tackles), Kavell Conner (7 tackles) and Moises Fokou (4 tackles) led the way for the Colts on D in this game.  The Jaguars finished up with 185 yards rushing on 32 carries (5.8 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 21 passes (47.6%) for 148 yards.  The Colts are now 1-2 on the year.

The Colts broke the seal last weekend in beating the Vikings 23-20.  The Jaguars got beat up physically at home last weekend, losing 27-7 to the Texans.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts would do well to be a little more balanced this weekend.  Donald Brown will likely be able to find decent running room against a Jaguars’ D that is allowing 169.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.  If the Colts can establish the running game a little bit this Sunday, things will be much easier for Andrew Luck and the Colts’ WRs and TEs.  Luck should have success throwing the ball this weekend as long as he spreads it out a little bit instead of throwing to Reggie Wayne all of the time.  Look for TEs Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen and WR Donnie Avery to be more involved in the game plan this weekend.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Colts are going to have to gang up on Maurice Jones-Drew and force Blaine Gabbert into beating them with his right arm.  That will be easier said than done as Jones-Drew is one of the very best RBs in the entire NFL, with or without the help of a passing game.  Gabbert has had one good game and one awful game so far this year.  If the Colts can get a good pass rush on Gabbert (and they should) they can force him into making some big mistakes in this game.  He does have a solid set of WRs and TEs in Laurent Robinson, Justin Blackmon, Cecil Shorts and Marcedes Lewis.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 21, JAGUARS 20

The Indianapolis Colts are only averaging 73.3 rushing yards per game and only 3.3 yards per carry so far this year, and that just isn’t going to get the job done.  They have thrown the ball 76 times (62.8%) of the time out of their 121 offensive plays so far this year.  The Colts have been playing from behind quite a bit which has let to the play calling split offensively.  But, they need more out of 25-year old starting RB Donald Brown.  Brown has played in both games for the Colts so far this year and he has carried the ball 25 times for 93 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  If Brown is ever going to truly breakout for the Colts this year, this is the Sunday to do it as the visiting Jaguars are giving up 169.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.

32-year old DE Dwight Freeney has a dreaded high ankle sprain, so he’s going to miss a few weeks.  Freeney played in the season opener without recording a tackle and he missed last weekend’s win over the Vikings.  Freeney has played in 150 games in his first 11 years with the Colts and he has 286 tackles, 102.5 sacks, 43 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 32 tackles for a loss and 14 passed defense.  The Colts are going to miss Freeney’s pass rush and big play ability while he’s out of action.

The Colts were cruising with a 20-6 lead heading into the 4th quarter, but it took a 53-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri with 8 seconds left to seal the win.  Andrew Luck was rock solid in his second NFL start as he completed 20 of 31 passes for 224 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 21 yards (5.3 ypc) in this game.  Donald Brown led the way on the ground for the Colts with 45 yards rushing on 16 carries (2.8 ypc).  Rookie Vick Ballard pitched in with 6 carries for 13 yards (2.2 ypc) in this game.  WRs Donnie Avery (9 rec, 111 yards) and Reggie Wayne (6 rec, 71 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Colts.  TE Dwayne Allen pitched in with 1 catch for 3 yards and it went for a TD.  The Colts finished up with 84 yards rushing on 30 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 194 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:38.

The defense was solid against the run, but not so good against the pass yesterday.  LB Jerrell Freeman led the way for the Colts on D with 13 tackles, 1 sack and 1 tackle for a loss.  CB Jerraud Powers (9 tackles and 2 passes defensed), safety Antoine Bethea (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), CB Vontae Davis (7 tackles) and OLB Robert Mathis (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits) also pitched in on D in this game.  The Vikings finished up with 95 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 35 passes (77.1%) for 232 yards.  The Colts are now 1-1 on the season.