Colts coach Chuck Pagano on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium before their preseason game in Indianapolis last August. They can do it again on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. From the get-go Quincy Williams II Jersey , things have only gotten worse for two teams just down the interstate from one another. The Colts (2-5) still have no idea when Andrew Luck might be back from shoulder surgery – he had to stop throwing last week in his rehab program. They’ve faded fast and hit a new low when they got shut out at home by the Jaguars last Sunday. ”They’ve had some things they’ve really had to overcome,” Lewis said, recalling their on-field chat. After getting blanked in a game for the first time in 15 years, the Colts make the short trip to Cincinnati with an injury-depleted roster and no idea when their most valuable player might be able to throw again. Another loss and things might come totally unraveled. ”There’s nothing like being in that environment and the circumstances we’re in to galvanize you as a group,” Pagano said. They’ve got close company in midseason misery. The Bengals (2-4) are struggling with their offense as well, even though Andy Dalton is generally healthy. They managed only 19 yards and one first down during the second half while losing in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Both teams are running out of time to salvage their seasons. The winner on Sunday can at least keep hope for one more week. ”You try to get hot,” Bengals running back Jeremy Hill said. ”A lot of people in this locker room know what it’s like to get hot and go on a streak. It’s still early. There’s still so many crazy things that can happen in this league. I’ve seen it.” Some things to watch at Paul Brown Stadium: DALTON RECOVERS: Dalton has played the past two games on an aching left ankle. His two turnovers in Pittsburgh helped the Steelers take control – an off-target throw to A.J. Green and a ball forced into coverage. The Bengals need him to shake off the bad half and have a crisp game against the 31st-ranked pass defense in the league. RUNNING ON EMPTY: The Bengals have struggled to get anything out of their running game with a varied approach using Hill, rookie Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard. They abandoned it in the second half in Pittsburgh – five runs for 17 yards, including two scrambles by Dalton – and need to get that part of the offense fixed. Mixon complained afterward about the lack of carries – he didn’t get to run the ball in the second half. ”I feel like that’s been one thing that we’ve been lacking, with the chunk yards in the run game,” Dalton said. ”We had a couple plays where they made big runs. That’s what we expect. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish.” TURNOVERS: The Bengals have yet to recover a fumble this season and have only four interceptions. By contrast Ryquell Armstead Jersey , Dalton has thrown eight interceptions – tied for third-most – and Cincinnati has lost five fumbles, tied for fifth-most. The lack of creating turnovers has been one of their biggest shortcomings. They’re tied for second-worst in the NFL in turnover ratio, ahead of the winless Browns. QUICK RELASE: Indianapolis’ continually changing offensive line can’t afford a repeat of last week. After allowing 10 sacks and 20 quarterback hits in a 27-0 loss to Jacksonville, the Colts have given up a league-high 29 sacks this season. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has avoided forcing throws, but sometimes holds onto the ball too long, setting himself up for a lot of hits. ”It’s football. You’re expected to get hit,” he said. ”Running backs do it. But I’ve got to do a better job of not taking those hits, too. It’s not the line’s fault.” THREE FOR THE SHOW: In Pagano’s first two seasons, the Colts never lost back-to-back games. Now, they’re trying to avoid dropping three straight. After losing to Tennessee and getting shut out for the first time in 376 regular-season games, they hit the road Gardner Minshew II Jersey , where they’ve lost three straight and five of their past six. ”It’s another game,” left tackle Anthony Castonzo said. ”Whether it’s on the road or at home, we want to win.” — AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report. — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have assembled the most expensive defense in NFL history. They believe it’s among the most talented, too.The group will cost more than $110 million (nearly $90 million to starters) in 2018 and includes eight guys with at least one Pro Bowl appearance. It’s loaded front to back, a mix of youth and experience, budding stars and wily veterans, huge egos and team players.Together, they make the Jaguars a trendy pick to reach the Super Bowl for the first time.Getting Jacksonville to this point was no easy endeavor, considering the team lost 63 of 80 games before breaking through and making the playoffs in 2017. General manager Dave Caldwell (with some recent help from Tom Coughlin ) built most of the stacked defense over the last three years, benefiting from the best draft class in franchise history Christian Wilkins Jersey , one of the top free-agent hauls in NFL lore and a midseason trade that made a difference.Here’s a look at how Jacksonville pieced together its high-priced and highly touted D, which returns 12 of its top 14 players from 2017:DRAFT GEMSLinebacker Telvin Smith turned out to be a steal in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. The former Florida State standout has 447 tackles — more than any other player over the last four seasons — seven interceptions and 6 1/2 sacks while missing just four games. He signed a four-year, $45 million extension in October that included $20 million guaranteed.Bigger contracts are likely in store for Jacksonville’s 2016 class, which included All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey (first round), linebacker Myles Jack (second) and Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (third). The trio is a rare find in the same draft and a major part of the team’s core.Ramsey is a lock-down defender, quite possibly the best at his position. Jack makes plays all over the field as part of one of the fastest linebacker corps in the league. Ngakoue has 20 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in two seasons.“Not everyone hits on their draft picks,” defensive coordinator Todd Wash said. “We are lucky that happened, but it is also a credit to the three individuals that come in every day and they work and strive to be the best that they can be.”FREE-AGENT FINDSAfter pinching pennies and rolling over salary-cap space for several years, the Jaguars spent big in 2016 and ’17. They signed five defensive starters to contracts totaling $275 million, including $122.5 million guaranteed. Here’s the unique part: The team has no regrets about a dime spent because they hit on all five.They gave defensive tackle Malik Jackson a six-year, $85.5 million contract in 2016 and signed safety Tashaun Gipson to a five-year Michael Deiter Jersey , $36 million deal. Jackson made his first Pro Bowl last season, and coach Doug Marrone was adamant that Gipson should have been there, too.As good as that duo performed, Jacksonville’s 2017 class was even better. All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell, Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye and hard-hitting safety Barry Church exceeded expectations, no easy task in free agency.Campbell had a career year, finishing with 14 1/2 sacks in his 10th NFL season, after signing a four-year, $60 million contract. Bouye, who inked a five-year, $67.5 million deal Daniel Jones Jersey , tied for third in the league with six interceptions and didn’t allow a touchdown in the regular season. Church notched a career-high eight pass breakups to go along with four interceptions and 1 1/2 sacks.None of the five has missed a game or even a start since joining Jacksonville, either.“We just have too many athletes on defense,” Bouye said. “We have to capitalize on this opportunity while it is here.”BARTER SYSTEMNeeding to shore up a shaky run defense in late October, Jacksonville traded a conditional, sixth-round draft pick (it ended up becoming a fifth-rounder) to Buffalo for two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. The Jags ranked 30th in the league against the run without Dareus and eighth with him down the stretch. Dareus and his $10.175 million salary will be in the starting lineup in 2018.“We think it all starts up front,” Wash said. “It’s a situation where we are very fortunate.”