JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dennis Northcutt could have complained.

He could have ripped the Jacksonville Jaguars for signing free agent receiver Jerry Porter to a six-year, $30 million contract in March.

He could have vilified receiver Matt Jones for his arrest on a felony drug charge in July.

He could have mocked coaches for keeping him on the sideline when the offense struggled to establish a big-play passing game.

Northcutt could have said something. He certainly considered it.

The outspoken veteran quietly waited for his turn instead. He got it last week, catching five passes for 127 yards and a touchdown after coach Jack Del Rio called his team's passing game "inept" a few days earlier.

Northcutt's first 100-yard receiving game in nearly four years helped Jacksonville snap a four-game losing streak with a 20-16 win over Green Bay and prompted some debate as to whether he should have been on the field all season.

Northcutt gets a chance to prove it wasn't a fluke when the Jaguars (5-9) host the surging Indianapolis Colts (10-4) on Thursday night.

"I never want to cause any problems," Northcutt said. "You haven't heard a thing from me. I played my role. Whatever the coach is asking me to do, that's what I'll continue to do."

Northcutt might have reacted differently earlier in his career. But he's become familiar with football "politics."

"I've played long enough to understand this game and understand this is a business," said Northcutt, a second-round draft pick by Cleveland in 2000 who later dropped behind Braylon Edwards on the depth chart. "There's politics involved."

Quarterback David Garrard agreed, questioning why Northcutt wasn't on the field more after catching 44 passes for 601 yards and four touchdowns last season and helping the Jaguars reach the playoffs.

Northcutt has 31 receptions for 409 yards this season, with a good chunk of it coming against the Packers. But before he made his first start and had a 41-yard reception, the Jaguars were the only team in the league without a pass play longer than 35 yards.

"It's crazy because you have a great season with (Northcutt) last year and he does great, but you know the politics of the game," Garrard said. "That's how it is. I don't control that stuff. I just throw the ball to whoever's out there."

Porter, Jones and Reggie Williams were getting the bulk of the work — probably because the Jaguars invested about $25 million guaranteed in the trio.

The Jaguars signed Porter to a deal that included $10 million guaranteed in the offseason. He opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list (hamstring) and his season ended on injured reserve (groin). In between, he started six games and caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown.

Jones, a first-round draft pick in 2005, got about $6 million guaranteed. He struggled early on to make the transition from college quarterback to NFL receiver, but has made strides this season with 65 catches for 761 yards and two touchdowns. However, he was charged with felony cocaine possession just before training camp.

Jones pleaded not guilty to the charge, and prosecutors agreed to move the case to drug court. The NFL, though, suspended Jones for the final three games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.