Jaguars Thump Colts to Stay Unbeaten at Home
JACKSONVILLE — From the Jacksonville Jaguars’ opening drive Sunday, it was clear they wouldn’t let their red zone deficiencies linger after the bye week.
Against division rival Indianapolis, the Jaguars came out firing, scoring on a 12-play, 98-yard, 7:08 opening drive. The effort was headlined by a 46-yard catch by tight end Brenton Strange and capped off by a 12-yard touchdown catch by receiver Brian Thomas Jr. With Jacksonville on the board first in front of a home crowd, it didn’t let up.
Behind a complementary performance, the Jaguars (5-2) topped the Colts (2-6) 42-7 Sunday afternoon at EverBank Stadium to remain undefeated at home this season.
After the impressive opening drive, Jacksonville’s offense stalled for the rest of the quarter, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence and company picked back up in the second.
Defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. gave the offense its next opportunity with just over nine minutes left in the second quarter. He recovered a fumble by Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, giving the Jaguars the ball at midfield.
The Jaguars capitalized on the field position for their second score when Lawrence found tight end Nate Boerkircher for a 31-yard touchdown.
Then, running back Bhayshul Tuten came off the right tackle, dodged defenders and ran 39 yards for the game’s third touchdown. And just like that, it was all coming up Jaguars.
Tuten had the standout performance of the day, rushing for a career-high 104 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and moving the sticks consistently. He also caught two passes for 55 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Chris Rodriguez Jr. made up some ground out of the backfield, too, posting 41 yards and the game’s fifth touchdown on six carries.
In the passing game, it was a quieter outing. Outside of the touchdown catches, Strange and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers made the largest impact, with two receptions apiece for 55 and 24 yards, respectively.
Lawrence finished 10 of 14 for 210 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, not having to pull much weight in the blowout victory. Jacksonville finished with 366 total yards, 183 on the ground and 183 net passing.
The explosive offensive showing was complemented by lockdown defense from start to finish. It didn’t allow Colts quarterback Daniel Jones or running back Jonathan Taylor any opportunity to get in a rhythm. Jacksonville allowed just 243 yards of total offense, 110 of them on the ground. Indianapolis avoided the shutout in the third quarter, when Jones found wide receiver Josh Downs for a 6-yard touchdown.
The most explosive defensive play came from safety Rayuan Lane III. After Lawrence was sacked by Jaylahn Tuimoloau and fumbled with 55 seconds left in the first half, the Colts got the ball at the Jacksonville 31-yard line. Lane wasn’t going to let them capitalize. He intercepted Jones’ pass intended for tight end Tyler Warren and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown to put Jacksonville up 28-0. The play gave the home team even more momentum heading into the second half.
Lane ended the game with three tackles and three passes defended to go along with the interception.
Linebacker Branson Combs also intercepted Jones, with 13:21 left in the fourth quarter and the Colts in the red zone.
Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun was the most consistent, though. He had a team-high nine tackles and added a sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. Edge rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker also had a successful day before Walker went to the locker room with a rib injury. They combined for eight tackles and 1.5 sacks.
The defensive and red zone deficiencies seen against the Texans may have been rectified by the bye week, but penalties remain a concern. Jacksonville was flagged eight times for 65 yards, while the Colts were flagged nine times for 54.
The Jaguars have a short week ahead before they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium.
Category: Feature Sports News, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
