The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Indianapolis Colts in a thrilling Week 14 clash with the top spot in the AFC South on the line. Both teams share an 8-4 record, making this fixture even more important for the NFL playoffs race. However, for the Colts, the health of its star players — Daniel Jones and Sauce Gardner — is the only thing standing between them and another back-to-back loss.

With a losing streak lasting over 11 years, the Colts start this matchup as favorites, thanks to their star quarterback Daniel Jones. By throwing 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns in 12 games, Jones has emerged as one of the MVP contenders this season. But his availability for this fixture was under a cloud as the Colts’ QB1 was dealing with a Fibula fracture.

However, according to the recent injury report, Jones didn’t have an injury designation and is expected to feature in Sunday’s game. Like Jones, cornerback Kenny Moore and wide receiver Josh Downs have completed their recoveries from their injuries and will feature against the Jaguars. Alongside these returns, the Colts named linebacker Jaylon Carlies as questionable.

For the third week in a row, Carlies has been a full participant in all three practices. Head coach Shane Steichen revealed that Carlies “had a great week of practice.” The Colts will decide whether or not he will be active before the game.

Lastly, Indianapolis cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Tyquan Lewis have been ruled out of Sunday’s game. Gardener continues to recover from his calf injury, whereas Lewis recovers from his ankle injury.

However, regarding Jones, even though he fully participated in practice, his health could be a major concern for the team. Even if he’s not in pain, it’s logical that his fibula injury will somewhat, if not more, affect his gameplay, specifically his ability to move and throw. And then there’s the factor of playing with precaution so as not to worsen it further. All these things could certainly impact his and his team’s game.

Shifting focus from the Colts, how do the Jacksonville Jaguars shape up ahead of this matchup?

Jacksonville Jaguars injury report

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have some key pieces back from injury in recent weeks, as they have ruled just two players out for the Colts clash. The only two players who won’t feature against Indianapolis are safety Andrew Wingard and offensive tackle Walker Little, who have missed the entire week of practice due to the concussion protocol.

Replacing Wingard is Eric Murray, who has had 19 solo tackles, 15 assists, and one interception in 7 games this season. But Murray himself is questionable, considering his neck injury. Highlighting Murray’s importance, Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile spoke about how the defensive back impacts the team.

“Eric’s a great leader, and I’ve said before, he is a great communicator,” Campanile said in a recent media interaction. “Anytime you get a guy like that, who has that veteran presence, the toughness that he brings to the game, he’s a physical guy. He’s tackled his ass off this year.”

Meanwhile, the Jaguars have four players listed as questionable. This link includes defensive tackle Arik Armstead (hand), defensive end Travon Walker (knee), and wide receiver Parker Washington (hip). Washington and Walker were limited in practice on Thursday and Friday and hence have a chance to play in the biggest game of the season.

The Jaguars are coming off a 25-3 thrashing of the 1-11 Tennessee Titans, while the Colts suffered a nail-biting loss against the Houston Texans on their home field, 20-16.

This game will also be important for Indianapolis, as the Colts have not won in Jacksonville since 2014. This streak has become an albatross around different Indy coaching staffs and rosters, making this upcoming contest even more exciting.

In their head-to-head so far, Jacksonville has won three of its last five meetings.

With both teams largely healthy ahead of this game, all eyes turn to EverBank Stadium as fans will hope for an entertaining battle for AFC South supremacy.