Jags trying to end Colts' pursuit of perfection
The last 12-0 team that came to the Sunshine State left with a loss.
The Jacksonville Jaguars hope to make it two in a row Sunday against the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts.
"The pressure is more on them than it is on us," Jags linebacker Mike Peterson said. "I'm pretty sure they're uptight, worrying about their 12-0 record and letting the division slip away."
If so, the Colts aren't showing it.
The Colts are one of only five NFL teams to start 12-0 and are getting flooded with questions about staying undefeated and matching the 1972 Miami Dolphins - the only team with a perfect season.
Coach Tony Dungy told his players to focus on short-term goals and let others worry about Indy's quest over the final month to make history.
The Colts already have secured a playoff spot and can clinch the division title Sunday. They also can earn a first-round bye and possibly home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Even if that doesn't happen against the Jaguars (9-3), it probably will in the coming weeks, which has prompted speculation whether Dungy will rest his players - and reduce the risk of injury - or try to make history.
"We're not going to play a game to lose no matter who plays and I don't think you would say, 'I hope we lose one because we'll be better off,'" Dungy said. "We want to win them all."
Only three teams have started 13-0: the 1934 Chicago Bears, the 1972 Dolphins and the 1998 Denver Broncos.
The Bears were 12-0 in 1985 when they traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins on Monday night. Miami won 38-24, an upset that remains almost as big a part of franchise history as Miami's perfect season.
For the Jaguars, who have won five in a row, this will be one of the biggest regular-season games in their 11-year history. They believe they are ready.
"I've been saying all season that this confidence was coming," Peterson said. "I felt something special coming. It was just a matter of time. The pieces of the puzzle are slowing piecing together. This is just another piece, beating Indianapolis."
A victory Sunday would give Jacksonville some credibility it has lacked by playing a relatively weak schedule and beating several teams - Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Houston and Baltimore - without key players.
But even with a loss, the Jaguars could still end up with one of the two AFC wild-card spots. They finish the season against San Francisco, Houston and Tennessee - teams with a combined 6-30 record.
"I've got bigger parts of history I'd like to be a part of than knocking off an undefeated team," coach Jack Del Rio said. "That would be nice, but there are bigger things that we're chasing and the biggest thing is we need to win enough to get into the tournament, and this is an opportunity to get win No. 10."
The Jaguars have matched up as well as anyone against the Colts in recent years.
The teams have split the last two season series, and Jacksonville has traditionally given Indianapolis more trouble than most opponents.
"They bring out the best in us," Jags receiver Jimmy Smith said. "We play to their level. We welcome the challenge of doing so. This is when you want to be playing your best football, in the months of November and December. You want to be gaining momentum for the playoffs. This will be a playoff atmosphere. It'll give us all a taste of what the playoffs will be like. We've got to win it."
The Jaguars have been able to put pressure on Peyton Manning without blitzing, which allows them to drop seven or eight into coverage and not let Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley or anyone else beat them deep.
Jacksonville also has been successful containing Edgerrin James and forcing the Colts to score by moving the ball methodically down the field and not making any mistakes. It nearly worked in the first meeting this season, when Manning threw an interception on the opening possession and then Indy punted on the next seven drives.
The Colts finally scored in the fourth quarter following a 17-play, 88-yard drive that featured 14 runs. The 10-3 victory was the only time this year the Colts trailed in the fourth period.
But they have been on a roll lately.
Seven of their past nine wins have come by at least 17 points. They lead the NFL in scoring, averaging more than 35 points over the past nine weeks, and have yielded the second-fewest points in the league. Only three teams - Cincinnati, St. Louis and New England - have scored more than two touchdowns against them all season.
So can the Jaguars pull the upset and end Indy's pursuit of perfection?
"We always play up to the competition," cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "The big games are something that everyone knows that we're going to show up and get it done."
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