Colts

Colts C Tanor Bortolini said that QB Phillip Rivers‘ speech provided a much-needed spark to the team after losing QB Daniel Jones for the season.

“He said, ‘You know what? I think for most people you always know what this game comes to, and at some point I thought it’d be over,’” Bortolini said, recalling Rivers’ animated speech, via ESPN. “‘So, it’s pretty cool to be back. And I don’t take this for granted at all.’ You just know that he’s going to give everything he has.”

Colts HC Shane Steichen believes that Rivers could be the spark that the team needs to recapture its season.

“He does give us juice, I’ll tell you that,” Steichen said. “I know that. He’s going to have a ton of it, so I think that helps for sure. I definitely think it helps.”

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor said Rivers hasn’t changed, and he still looks like the quarterback that was there before he retired.

“Being able to kind of have some of that energy that we had beforehand, I think that it was really nice, and I think that we’re going to continue to use that,” Taylor said. “Obviously, we have to go and execute out at practice and make sure it translates on Sunday. But just from an energy, a vibe, a juice standpoint, I think it was really good.”

• Dianna Russini reports that a Colts team source said Rivers can still throw the ball but has trouble with mobility, meaning that the team will rely heavily on Taylor in Week 15.

Colts

• Mike Chappell notes that Colts DT DeForest Buckner practiced for the first time on Wednesday since suffering a herniated disc in his neck.
• Chappell adds that Buckner lost strength on his left side, and surgery could become an option if the issue continues.

Jaguars

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence finished with 244 passing yards and two touchdowns in Week 14’s win over the Colts. Jacksonville HC Liam Coen highly praised Lawrence for his performance, pointing out that he was critical on third downs. 

“I thought he rose to the occasion and played at a high level. I thought it was one of his more accurate games, big plays that we needed on critical third downs. So hopefully we can continue to ride the momentum,” Coen said, via John Oehser of the team’s website.

Jaguars WR Tim Patrick said that Lawrence is “facilitating” their entire offense.

“He’s facilitating to everybody,” Patrick said. “He has full control of the offense. He’s running when he needs to run. He’s throwing when he needs to throw and obviously the run game and our line. I think we understand what type of team we are and the type of team that we want to be. We want to run the ball, we want to be physical and when we need to throw the ball, we’re going to throw the ball and we’re going to make plays.”

Coen said he didn’t have firm expectations on Lawrence in his first season as head coach.

“You hit strides at different times in different seasons,” Coen said. “It’s just the way it goes. And try not to overthink it. Try not to dive into too many what-ifs and this-and-thats; you just kind of keep coaching. You keep the standards high and the expectations high.”