Coming off their first postseason appearance in five years, the Jacksonville Jaguars enter the 2023 NFL season with high expectations. Not only are Doug Pederson & Co. the clear favorites to win the AFC South for a second straight season, but many believe Jacksonville may genuinely be able to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals as the AFC representative in the Super Bowl. And while the Jaguars' Week 1 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts certainly isn't the most difficult season opener, it'll undoubtedly give them some confidence to start the new year.

A season ago, the Jags were 4-8 after 12 games and seemed poised to miss the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. But thanks in large part to the incredible play of Trevor Lawrence down the stretch, Jacksonville reeled off five consecutive wins to close out the 2022 campaign at 9-8, clinching the AFC South in Week 18 with a 20-16 win over the rival Tennessee Titans.

The Jaguars then scored a wild comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round, losing by a touchdown to the eventual champs.

So, again, expectations are high in Jacksonville.

And it all starts with the Jaguars' Week 1 battle with the Colts, a matchup that shouldn't give them too much trouble at all. Nevertheless, here are a few Week 1 predictions.

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3. Trevor Lawrence will lead all NFL quarterbacks in passing yards in Week 1

Following a rough rookie season in 2021, during which he completed less than 60% of his throws for 3,641 yards with 12 touchdowns against a league-leading 17 picks, Trevor Lawrence came back strong in 2022.

For starters, he upped his completion percentage considerably, going from 59.6% to 66.3%. He also upped his yardage to 4,113 yards, good for ninth in the NFL, more than doubled his TD passes with 25, and cut his interceptions by more than half with just eight.

What's scary for NFL defenses is that Lawrence will only be better in 2023, especially with adding Calvin Ridley to a receiving corps that also includes Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram. In 2022, that trio combined to catch 239 passes for 2,697 yards with 17 touchdowns. And let's not forget that running back Travis Etienne caught 35 passes out of the backfield for 316 yards.

Add Ridley to the mix, and Lawrence seems destined for his first 5,000-yard season. And he'll knock out a nice portion of that during the Jaguars' Week 1 clash with the Colts. Indianapolis had one of the worst overall defenses in the NFL last year and won't be able to handle Jacksonville's offensive attack on Sunday.

Expect a big day from Trevor Lawrence, who I predict will have the most passing yards of any NFL quarterback in Week 1.

2. The Jaguars' defense will feast on Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson

While Jacksonville didn't have a great defensive unit in 2022, it was still solid and showed plenty of improvements as the season went along. And it's not as if there weren't plenty of good things to take away from the campaign.

For example, the Jags tied for fourth in turnovers generated with 27. They also pressured the quarterback at the fourth-best rate at 25.1%.

And those stats bode well for the Jaguars' Week 1 matchup with the Colts, as Indianapolis will start rookie Anthony Richardson at quarterback. But while this year's No. 4 overall pick is a phenomenal athlete, arguably the best in the draft, he's going to struggle all season. That's simply how it goes for the vast majority of rookie signal-callers. Just ask Trevor Lawrence.

Let's get real here. Richardson isn't a great passer. In a dozen appearances for the Florida Gators last year, he completed just 53.8% of his passes and threw nine picks. Yes, he can run the ball but might be asked to do too much of that in Week 1 as the Colts have issues at running back.

Jonathan Taylor, of course, won't suit up, and Zack Moss is questionable as he's still dealing with the effects of a broken arm suffered during training camp. Richardson won't be able to handle the pressure –both literally and figuratively — and I predict the Jaguars' defense will record at least five sacks and two interceptions.

1. The Jaguars will have the largest margin of victory of any NFL team in Week 1

Make no mistake about it. The Jaguars' Week 1 matchup with the Colts won't be close. Jacksonville will roll into Lucas Oil Stadium and kick off the 2023 season with a lopsided victory.

In fact, I'll go out on a limb here and say that the Jaguars will have the largest margin of victory of any NFL team in Week 1. FanDuel currently lists Doug Pederson & Co. as 4.5-point favorites, but this game won't be anywhere near that competitive.

Trevor Lawrence and the Jags' offense are going to manhandle the Colts' defense. And the Jacksonville defense is facing a rookie quarterback who completed 44.8% of his preseason passes. I see a 35-3 win for the Jaguars here.