Welcome to Big Cat Country’s staff roundtable!

Today, we’re previewing Week 14’s matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts at EverBank Stadium.

Question 1: What should the Jaguars’ biggest focus be this week to beat the Colts and remain in first place in the division?

Dillon Appleman: The obvious answer here is to stop Jonathan Taylor, but I think a statistic that is more specific and ties into that emphasis is to win the time of possession battle. The Jaguars are 5-2 this season when they win T.O.P., and even the two losses (CIN and HOU) probably should have been wins if not for some self-sabotaging. Controlling the clock with the run game and converting on third down will go a long way in the outcome of this game.

Travis Holmes: Jacksonville’s biggest focus this week should probably be a continuation of their in-house, self-evaluation. The primary team to beat the Jaguars this season has been Jacksonville. If they can simply, for one Sunday, find a way to minimize the penalties in a game that’s expected to be raining, this would go a long way towards a Jacksonville victory.

Gus Logue: Win in the trenches. Offensive/defensive line play is paramount in any game, but especially in gritty divisional matchups — and especially those being played in rainy conditions. Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner is out for the season, but can the Jaguars’ IOL take care of run-stuffing DT Grover Stewart? On the other side of the ball: can Josh Hines-Allen continue his hot streak? (He leads the NFL in pressures since Week 9.) And how effective will Travon Walker and Arik Armstead be on Sunday, assuming they return from their respective injuries?

Henry Zimmer: Outside of getting healthy across the board, the Jags need to focus on continuing to do the little things correctly. Drops weren’t an issue over the weekend and the team had the right attitude. Playing at home will help the team get up for the game, but another 13-penalty day will definitely ruin that. Playing clean and playing smart are your keys to winning Sunday.

Question 2: What’s a matchup you’re looking forward to watching?

Dillon: With Sauce Gardner out on Sunday, the matchup I’m looking forward to most is the Colts CB2 (Mekhi Blackmon or Jaylon Jones) against the Jags trio of wide receivers. CB1 Charvarius Ward is a good player, but with Gardner out, it allows Jacksonville to have a mismatch with one of Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr. or Parker Washington against depth pieces for Indy. I expect Liam Coen to attack that matchup early and often in the passing game.

Travis: The matchup between Colts’ TE Tyler Warren and Jacksonville safety Eric Murray (and the Jaguar LBs) is the one to watch for me. Warren averages about 5 catches a game and is third in the NFL for receiving yards from a TE (behind only Trey McBride and Travis Kelce). Meanwhile, Jacksonville has struggled heavily against the position in 2025. Top tight end talent against questionable tight end coverage normally means an explosive day for the offense. It will be curious to see how DC Anthony Campanile addresses Warren while looking to limit Jonathan Taylor simultaneously.

Gus: RG Patrick Mekari against DT Grover Stewart will be a battle between versatile veteran linemen. Stewart moves across the formation some — especially now that Buckner is on injured reserve — but he primarily aligns on the left side of the defense/right side of the offense. Mekari missed the past game and a half due to a concussion, and his play has dropped off since the first month of the season, but the Jaguars will need a strong outing out of their free agent pickup to neutralize Stewart in the run game.

Henry: If the Jags are still depleted along the defensive line, who will step up to stop Taylor? He’s been bottled up in the past two games for the Colts — both resulted in losses. If the Jags can keep Taylor out of the end zone, that’s a game-winning approach for Jacksonville.

Question 3: Who will be the biggest X-factor?

Dillon: Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars need to win the turnover battle and convert on 3rd down to win what is the most important game of the season for Jacksonville to this point. Lawrence did a good job last week of keeping the ball out of harm’s way, and he’ll need to continue that trend on Sunday if the team is going to take control of the division.

Travis: My X-factor for this one is, unfortunately, a familiar face in Duval: WR Alec Pierce. I know they have a horseshoe on their helmets, but this 2025 Colts team is built similarly to the old-school Titans. With Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor filling the Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry roles, respectively, this smashmouth run-the-ball, control-the-game offense can’t be allowed to have success opening up the vertical passing game on Sunday. Pierce, the Colts’ most explosive receiver, can’t be allowed to do what he did against this Jaguars secondary in their 2024 Week 5 matchup, when Joe Flacco connected with Pierce for 3 receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown at EverBank Stadium.

Gus: Considering the forecast, I’ll go with Bhayshul Tuten. The Jaguars will need both him and Travis Etienne to be effective on the ground so that Lawrence isn’t forced to drop back 35+ times in the rain. Tuten ranks 41st among 49 RBs with 3.6 yards per carry this season, largely because he has just 4 rushes of more than 10 yards and zero rushes of more than 15 yards. Sunday would be a great time for the fourth-round rookie to break a long one.

Henry: Taylor. He is just as liable to go for over 200 as he is to rush for only around 60 yards. Daniel Jones not being healthy could hurt Taylor’s chances of running wild if the whole stadium knows they will lean on the run game anyway.

Dillon: Jaguars 20, Colts 17

Travis: Jaguars 29, Colts 27

Gus: Jaguars 27, Colts 24

Henry: Jaguars 27, Colts 17

What are your Week 14 predictions, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!