Jacksonville Jaguars will need to overcome attrition, distractions against Colts in Week 5

In more ways than one, there's history on the line Sunday for the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4) against the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) this weekend.

The team will wear "Prowler Throwbacks" uniforms, a nod to the team's original and most popular uniforms in team history, and induct the inaugural head coach and general manager Tom Coughlin into the Pride of the Jaguars .

The game will kick off at 1 p.m. in Jacksonville at EverBank Stadium.

Jacksonville's history against the Colts is also on the line. They've defeated the Colts at home (or in London) every year since 2015, nine straight seasons. Now they'll have a chance to say they've done it for a decade. But that'll take the team getting back on track to get there.

What now? Why don't Jacksonville Jaguars run the ball more? Answering questions ahead of Colts game

"I've been there before; I've done that before and we've always battled back. I mean, even when we were 3-7 in ‘22, we found a way to win a game and win multiple games and that's all it takes," Pederson.

"I think too, when you look at it and if you really look at these games, like with a calm eye, and study the tape and see, I mean, there's mistakes, yeah, there's mistakes. Are they critical at times? Yeah. I mean, they’re critical at times, but there's a lot of good, as we talked about the other day. That's what we have to lean on, and we’ve just got to continue to work.”

The Jaguars aren't at the point of no return in their season. They still have confidence and, moving forward, they will need to keep that energy if they want to keep the ship moving in the right direction.

Some new players could help that, including cornerback Montaric Brown and linebacker Ventrell Miller, both players who were thrust into the starting lineup in recent weeks due to injuries.

Jaguars dealing with attrition defensively but, reserves have held up the standard

The Jaguars enter this week with some help on the way, but will still be missing multiple players on defense.

Cornerback Tyson Campbell, linebackers Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd and defensive back Darnell Savage have all missed time due to injuries this season.

Campbell is on the team's injured reserve list and won't be eligible to return until after the team plays the Colts on Sunday. He's missed three games and will miss a fourth.

Savage has missed the last three games and Oluokun missed last week's game against the Houston Texans and is also on the team's IR list for at least three more.

While defensive end Josh Hines-Allen appears likely to play on Sunday, he still has to pass all concussion protocols to suit up.

The injuries have piled up, but it's not something Jacksonville wasn't prepared for.

During the offseason and into training camp, Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen created a depth chart-less environment, rotating players, young and old, into the lineup against starters. That gave them experience and urgency to be ready when called upon.

"Sometimes if you put something up and could be an undrafted free agent or a guy that is a late-round pick, and all of a sudden, he sees his name on fourth underneath, and he's buried, it could create a negative image mindset type thing. We simply say to our guys, our staff, done a great job of, ‘Hey, here's your reps. It's what you do with those reps that matter,’" Nielsen explained Thursday.

"We don't know when you're going to get in there. You could be on the field first, second, or third in the team period, but we evaluate what you do. It doesn't matter who it's against. It's just what that player does so he can take advantage of those reps."

For players like Brown and Miller, those situations have come up. Brown got playing time in place of Campbell last season and has maintained or elevated his level of play since.

According to Pro Football Focus, Brown ranks 23rd overall among cornerbacks with at least 150 snaps and 32nd in coverage. He's also tied with CB Ronald Darby with 10 stops, according to Next Gen Stats. For reference, Oluokun and defensive end Travon Walker lead the team with 12.

Miller and linebacker Chad Muma had to jump in last week after Lloyd and Oluokun missed the game. Both players had been mixed into the lineup through the first three weeks of the season, logging upwards of 15 snaps.

"They're starting. So, you prepare for that. You never know when it's going to come, and it might not come, but you just stay the course and we're doing the same thing in practice today," said Nielsen. "‘Hey, here's your reps. These guys are going to go out and play, and let's make the most of it when we have our reps.’”

Ventrell Miller brings energy to Jaguars defense at the right time

Miller is a player getting extra work over the next few weeks with Oluokun out.

Miller played 10 and 13 snaps, respectively, in the first two weeks of the season.

His snap count increased against the Bills after Oluokun went down due to injury and he played 84% of the snaps against the Texans last week, the first start of his career.

Miller totaled 11 tackles (eight solos) and one tackle for loss. He also had two other tackles for loss that were called back due to penalties. Nielsen was impressed by the second-year player's performance.

"It was good. He made a lot of plays. He was all over the place, inside the box, outside the box, in pass game, a couple of disruption passes. A lot of tackles. He's a good tackler and when he sees the ball and he can go, he can get there quickly," Nielsen said.

One play that Nielsen highlighted of Miller was in the third quarter. Miller made a tackle on a stretch play run by the Texans and tackled the player for a one or two-yard gain.

"Let's punch the ball out when we get there," Nielsen said with a smile.

Miller said that he gains confidence throughout the week by going out and executing. He also agrees with Nielsen's edict of takeaways being of the utmost importance moving forward for a team without a defensive takeaway this year.

"That's the emphasis every week getting a punch-out, takeaway, turnover. Guys are looking to do that, so I'm hoping to get one this week for sure," Miller said in the locker room Thursday.

Miller nearly came up with one against the Bills while sporting a brace on his hand, but he didn't want to talk about that, he said with a laugh.

"Just a little bit more strain," he added.

What Miller has brought to the defense, though, is his energy. That was put on full display last year against Houston and has been the case since Miller was with the Florida Gators in college, perhaps even before that.

"[I have] a lot of passion for the game. I've been playing since I was four years old. At Lakeland (Fla.) we had year-round little leagues. I was playing summer and winter leagues so I was football all the time. I think that's where the love grew," Miller said.

Miller said that no matter if it's him or someone else on defense, the energy they bring to the table can be contagious.

"Makes you want to go out and play a little bit harder to make a play, so I'd say it's contagious to have that energy," he added.

Anthony Richardson or Joe Flacco? Who will the Jaguars play?

The Jaguars won't have to worry about running back Jonathan Taylor on Sunday due to a high-ankle sprain, but they won't know which quarterback will be first on the field.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has practiced on a limited basis this week due to an oblique injury. Whether he plays or not has yet to be determined.

It's a bit of two extremes, Pederson said Wednesday.

"Yes, almost two extremes. Kind of know both guys. We saw Anthony Richardson last year, obviously, first game, and we know how talented he is. We've seen already his ability to throw the football this year," Pederson said of Richardson.

Last year, Richardson completed 24 of 37 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Jacksonville. Richardson rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Against Flacco last season when he was with the Browns, the veteran QB completed 26 of 45 passes for 311 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

"We've seen already his ability to throw the football this year. Flacco, we know from last year being at Cleveland and what he can do as well, throwing the football," Pederson said of Flacco.

"I mean, it's a challenge either way and you’ve just got to trust your game plan. Stay disciplined in what you're doing and no matter who's out there, just execute that.”

Pederson noted that Richardson's off-schedule plays make it tougher to deal with him.

"His ability to run, we know that. He's a big physical guy who can break out of an arm tackle. But he's working the system. He's working the offense. He's letting the guys around him work. That's what they ask him to do," said Pederson.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars will need to overcome attrition, distractions against Colts in Week 5