Will Luck Be Sidelined?

After being throttled by the New England Patriots, 51-17, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed a bit of good fortune as they enter their first place (at 1-2) battle with the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

That lucky break may have just come as it appears that there’s a real chance that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck just might miss his first game as a pro.

Luck has been limited in practice all week with his sore throwing shoulder that he sustained at some point during the Colts’ win over the Titans on Sunday.

“I hesitate to go into details about what happened but it happened in the past game,” Luck said. “Again, it wasn’t feeling as good as I would have liked today but continue to improve during the week and get ready to go.”

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley is preparing his team for the possibility of facing Matt Hasselbeck instead of Luck.

“Every week you go into it, you know who the backup is and you show some clips of him,” Bradley explained. “This week it might be a little bit more real so I think that you go into it, you prepare for Luck, you know everything that he likes to do, the style and mannerisms. But you might spend a little bit more time on Matt Hasselbeck and his demeanor and his mentality and how he goes about it and his different style. I think it’s probably more real than a normal week, no one can argue with that, so you have to be prepared for both.”

The possibility of Luck missing Sunday’s game became quite a bit more real on Friday as the Colts signed journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson.  With backup Matt Hasselbeck already on the roster and the Colts already having a practice squad signal caller in Alex Tanney, there’s no good reason why they would waste a roster spot on a veteran quarterback unless Hasselbeck was going to start the game.

Chuck Pagano is still trying to sell that Luck will be available.

Pagano: We had planned all along to sign another QB…Someone to take some reps off Matt, a 40 yr old guy who has his AARP card. #Colts

— Charly Arnolt (@CharlyOnTV) October 2, 2015

Luck didn’t throw much, if any this week at practice and at the very least he’ll be rusty and banged up if he plays.  It’s likely that Johnson would be active either way, causing the Colts to lose a potentially valuable roster spot.

Several Las Vegas outlets see the loss of Luck as potentially worth five points, as the Jaguars would either be 9.5 point underdogs or 4.5 point underdogs whether Luck or Hasselbeck starts.

Sunday could be the day that the Colts 14-game winning streak against AFC South opponents comes to an end.

Game Time Decisions

There are plenty of stars who may or may not play this Sunday.  Here are some of the game time decisions:

• Jets vs. Dolphins: NYJ WR Eric Decker, Mia TE Jordan Cameron, Mia RB Jonas Gray
• Texans vs. Falcons: Hou RB Arian Foster, Hou OT Duane Brown, ATL LB Brooks Reed
• Giants vs. Bills: NYG OT Ereck Flowers
• Raiders vs. Bears: Oak S Charles Woodson, Chi QB Jay Cutler, Chi WR Alshon Jeffery
• Chiefs vs. Bengals: Cin DT Marcus Hardison, Cin CB Adam Jones
• Jaguars vs. Colts: Indy QB Andrew Luck, Indy TE Dwayne Allen
• Panthers vs. Buccaneers: TB RB Doug Martin, TB DT Gerald McCoy
• Eagles vs. Redskins: Phi RB DeMarco Murray, Phi OT Jason Peters, Phi LB Mychal Kendricks, Was CB Chris Culliver
• Browns vs. Chargers: Cle S Tashaun Gipson, SD OT D.J. Fluker, SD TE Ladarius Green, SD CB Jason Verrett
• Rams vs. Cardinals: AZ RB Andre Ellington
• Vikings vs. Broncos: Den TE James Casey, Den LB Todd Davis
• Packers vs. 49ers: GB WR Davante Adams, GB S Morgan Burnett

Storm Heads East, Game Will Go On As Scheduled

The NFL released a statement on Hurricane Joaquin, which threatened the scheduling of the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.

Our primary concern as it relates to Hurricane Joaquin is the safety of the public, including our fans and clubs. Based on the storm’s current trajectory and the lifting by Governor Hogan of the state of emergency in eight Maryland counties, including Montgomery and Prince George’s County (where FedEx Field is located), we expect to play Sunday’s Philadelphia at Washington game as scheduled on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The governor’s office has assured us that based on the current forecast playing the game would have no adverse effect on public safety. We will continue to monitor the storm, stay in contact with the governor’s office and other public authorities, and be prepared to adjust the schedule if necessary should the forecast change. ​

Best Games To Watch On Saturday

After a not-so-impressive slate of college football games last Saturday, this week is sure to impress.  We have a handy guide on the best games to watch at the respective time slots.  This should keep you busy for roughly 14 hours.

12:00 EST

#23 WVU vs. #15 Oklahoma- Fox Sports 1

Minnesota vs. #16 Northwestern- Big Ten Network

Iowa vs. #19 Wisconsin- ESPN

3:30 EST

Texas Tech vs. #5 Baylor- ABC/ESPN

#13 Alabama vs. #8 Georgia- CBS

7:00 EST

#3 Ole Miss vs. #25 Florida- ESPN

8:00 EST

#6 Notre Dame vs. #12 Clemson- ABC

10:30 EST

Arizona vs. #18 Stanford- Pac 12 Network