5 things to watch Week 2

After failing to get their first season-opening win since 2013, the Indianapolis Colts are headed to Jacksonville, a place that they haven’t won since 2014.

Because of the disappointing stat, Frank Reich has a career record of 4-4 against the Jaguars. Entering the season, there was a heightened awareness around the organization that they needed to get off to a fast start to the season so they don’t have to climb out of a hole.

This is a very important matchup for the Colts. Not only because it is a divisional opponent but also because they need to avoid falling to 0-1-1 ahead of the gauntlet they have starting in Week 3.

After Sunday’s game, they have the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, and the Denver Broncos before they face Jacksonville again at home.

But they can’t be caught looking ahead, especially with the woes that they have had in Duval County. Here are five things to keep an eye on when the two teams hit the field:

1
Matchup of friends

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There has been a lot of change since Frank Reich won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator under Doug Pederson with the Philadelphia Eagles. Reich has seen a turntable at the quarterback position since he took over as the head coach of the Colts. Pederson was surprisingly let go by the Eagles, despite bringing the organization a championship. After taking a year off, he joined the Jaguars organization this past offseason and will be trying to turn things around for them finally.

This isn’t the first time that the two coaches have faced off. During Reich’s first year in Indianapolis, Pederson got the best of his friend when the Eagles beat the Colts 20-16 back in 2018. Both coaches have a similar approach because they both call the play calls for their respective offenses. The question is, which coach better understands his friend’s tendencies when he has the headset on?

While each coach likely has evolved their philosophies since the last time they worked together, they can still give their defensive coordinators some insights on what they believe they will see on Sunday. The battle of offensive-minded coaches will be on display in Duval County.

2
Who steps up in the passing attack?

One of the biggest concerns entering the season was who was going to help the offense move the ball on a consistent basis outside of Jonathan Taylor and Michael…