Colts' Zaire Franklin Discusses Mindset Ahead of Jaguars Matchup

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin and head coach Shane Steichen are focused on what they must do to win in Jacksonville.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) celebrates after making a stop Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin is in the midst of his seventh season in the NFL with 102 games under his belt. Of those 102 games, six have come against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.

Zero have resulted in wins.

Franklin and the Colts will attempt to change that on Sunday, as Indy has not won in Jacksonville since 2014. Franklin and the rest of the longest-tenured Colts have heard about the "curse" repeatedly. But the only way for the talk to stop is by finally getting a win at the home of their divisional opponent.

“I wouldn't necessarily say it's a tough place to play," Franklin said about Jacksonville. "I just think we just consistently haven't put out a good performance there, but none of that really matters. New team, new year, new situation. So, just got to approach it with a fresh mindset, ready to play.”

On the surface, the Colts should be favored to win this matchup. The Colts have won two straight and have shown obvious improvement throughout the year. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are 0-4, the lone winless team in the NFL.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) escapes Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

But when you dig deeper, the Jaguars have not been far away from snagging a few victories this season. Outside of a blowout at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, the Jaguars' average margin of defeat this season has been four points. The Jags could have won all three contests if a couple of plays had gone differently.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen does not take stock in the Jaguars' record. He understands they have a skilled and experienced football team that can get hot at any time. It is the Colts' job to prevent that from happening this week.

"I think they're very talented," Steichen said about the Jaguars. "Obviously, they’ve got the rookie receiver, (Brian) Thomas Jr., who's very explosive. The other receivers – explosive. The two backs, (Tank) Bigsby, (Travis) Etienne Jr. – explosive. (Trevor) Lawrence is a really good passer when you give him time. He can sit back there and complete balls with accuracy. So, we're going to do a hell of a job collapsing the pocket, keeping him in the pocket and not letting these guys get off and run down the field.”

The Jaguars offense has had success against the Colts' defense in recent memory. Since Gus Bradley took over as defensive coordinator in 2022, the Jaguars have averaged 29.8 points per game against the Colts. The Jags put up over 30 points in both games a year ago.

Franklin and the Colts have spent the week watching the tape from those two contests in 2023 to see what went wrong. While film study of past matchups is routine in the weekly preparation, Franklin thinks much can be gleaned about how the Jaguars will attack the Colts with largely the same offensive group as a year ago.

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"Obviously you’ve got to go back and watch those games just because that's how you usually break down an opponent," Franklin explained. "You go back and you’ve got same head coach, similar play caller, same quarterback, similar receivers as well. So obviously, there's going to be some similarities on how they attacked us previously and how they’re going to try to attack us on Sunday."

While it may be the same two teams and schemes, the game will be much different. The Colts will be without DeForest Buckner (ankle), Samson Ebukam (Achilles), JuJu Brents (knee), and Tyquan Lewis (elbow), as all three are on injured reserve. It also looks likely Kenny Moore II (hip) and Kwity Paye (quad) will miss their second straight game.

With the Colts incredibly banged up on defense, the Jaguars will look to attack differently than if all of Indy's starters were healthy. Franklin and the defense have to be ready for that.

"They’ve got different wrinkles in their game now and different things that they’re trying to attack," Franklin remarked. "So yes, a couple of those games are good to watch, but we’re also going to pay attention to what they've done this year so far.”

Because the Colts have not won in Jacksonville in 10 years and lost four out of their last five to the Jaguars, one might think there is extra motivation for Indy to win this game. But Steichen, Franklin, and the rest of the Colts are treating this like every other game. If they deviate from their routine or put extra pressure on themselves, it likely will not end well. Instead, the Colts are taking the same approach for every other opponent.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen stands at midfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

"When I had the team meeting, I talked about the standard," Steichen stated. "The standard doesn't care about how talented you are. It doesn't. It cares about how consistent you are and how disciplined you are. We’ve got to be disciplined and consistent in our approach every week."

"Everything that Shane continues to hold us to, that our coaches continue to hold us to, we just continue to maintain that just as leaders and as captains on this team," Franklin admitted. "It’s our job to keep making sure the guys uphold that.”

The Colts understand the significance of the task at hand. A win over the Jaguars would put them over .500 for the first time all season and notch their first divisional win. The win would also make three straight, giving the Colts momentum as they begin the second quarter of 2024.

Steichen and Franklin are not focused on breaking a curse. They are not looking at the current record of the Jaguars. All they care about is doing whatever it takes to get a victory this week.

"Doesn't matter who we're playing, where we're playing," Steichen quipped. "I don't care that they're 0-4. They're a damn good football team. They've had some close games obviously that could have went either way. We’ve got a division opponent that we got to go beat.”

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