By Michael Marot
The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Colts already know they've made the playoffs. They also know what they must do to have a long postseason run: Get their offense on track and their defense shored up to beat struggling Jacksonville.

"You'd like to be playing your best football at the end of the year," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "I think it's important to play well and go into the playoffs with some confidence."

The Colts (9-6) have looked like anything but a playoff team recently, but they secured a spot after Kansas City lost 24-0 to Oakland on Saturday. They've lost two of their last three games. They've played their worst in their most significant games, and last week missed an opportunity to secure a playoff spot after allowing a season-high 44 points and rushing for only 50 yards in a 44-27 loss to the New York Giants.

The Colts have qualified for their third playoff berth in four seasons, something the franchise has not done since the mid-1970s.

The Jaguars (6-9) are dealing with their own problems.

They're already assured a third consecutive losing season and have been inundated by questions about whether coach Tom Coughlin's tenure would end following the season finale.

Coughlin has been the only coach in franchise history, and he and his players say they have not been distracted by the continual rumors. Instead, they're focusing on the game.

"The motivation is there," running back Fred Taylor said. "We've not really been talking about being the spoiler, but we have something positive to look forward to."

The Jaguars' results in similar kinds of games, however, have not been good.

Jacksonville finished its last two seasons on the road against playoff teams after being eliminated, and lost both times - 28-25 to the Giants in 2000 and 33-13 to the Chicago Bears last year.

Last week the Jaguars appeared to quit in the second half of a 28-10 loss to AFC South champion Tennessee.

This week they also could be without starting quarterback Mark Brunell, who has an injured right hamstring. If he doesn't play, rookie David Garrard likely would start.

Brunell's future in Jacksonville is nearly as cloudy as Coughlin's, but neither is taking time out for reflection.

"I don't want to think about what might have been," Brunell said. "I want to get the team in a position to win, then after next week, we'll think about those things - what went right, what went wrong, what needs to change."

The Colts' concerns are more immediate. They must begin performing like a playoff team, starting with reclaiming their home-field advantage. They're 7-8 at home during the last two years, including the disastrous game against the Giants last weekend.

They also need their sluggish running game to get off the ground. The Colts have rushed for fewer than 100 yards three times in the last four weeks and have not produced a 100-yard runner since Edgerrin James on Nov. 17 against Dallas.

James needs 97 yards to reach 1,000 for the third time in his four-year career, but the Colts want to at least see some progress.

"Last week was not a good demonstration of running the ball," said backup James Mungro. "The focal point is going to be execution."

Dungy is just hoping for improvement.

"I think it's important to win the game," Dungy said. "But it's more important for us to play well."

Colts place Ismail on injured reserve

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Colts placed wide receiver Qadry Ismail on the injured reserve list Saturday.

Ismail, who sustained a concussion in last week's 44-27 loss to the New York Giants, finished his first season with the Colts with 44 receptions for 462 yards and three touchdowns.

The Colts activated receiver Adam Herzing from the practice squad to take Ismail's spot on the roster. Herzing, a 6-foot-2, 197-pound rookie from Cal Poly, has been on the Colts' practice squad the entire season.

Indianapolis signed rookie linebacker J.R. Robinson of Syracuse to the practice squad.

The Colts close the regular season Sunday against Jacksonville.

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