"Please excuse Reggie Wayne if he approaches this afternoon's must-win game with Jacksonville at Lucas Oil Stadium with a noticeable hop in his step.

The Jaguars, you see, tend to bring out the best in the Indianapolis Colts' four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.

"Just seems like whenever we play them,'' Wayne said, "I have a good, solid game.

"Maybe they forget about me, I don't know. Jacksonville was my first 'best' game, in my mind.''

In 2003, Wayne's first season as a full-time starter, he had 10 receptions, 141 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars.

It was a preview of coming attractions. Consider:

In the first meeting this season, Wayne had a regular-season career-high 15 catches for 196 yards.

Wayne has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in seven of his past eight games against Jacksonville, including the last four.

The Jaguars have been front and center for three of Wayne's six most-productive regular-season games: the 196 on Oct. 3, 162 in 2009 and 158 in '07.

"He plays well against a lot of people,'' Jacksonville cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "He's going to get his catches, and you just have to try and limit how big they are.''

The Jaguars' pass defense is among the NFL's worst. It ranks No. 28 in yards per game (258.3), No. 32 in yards per pass attempt (8.69) and No. 31 in yards per completion (13.4). Opposing QBs have compiled a 99.7 passer rating."