Three Keys: How Jaguars Can Corral Colts
EverBank Stadium will see its first action Sunday since Oct. 4 and its last until Nov. 29. The Jaguars (4-2) are home for Week 8 and their second consecutive divisional matchup.
The Jaguars stand 2.5 games ahead of the rest of the AFC South and aim to widen the margin against the Colts (2-5) in hopes of winning their 12th straight contest at home against Indianapolis. During that 11-year span, the Jaguars have averaged 31.1 points per game and posted a plus-165 point differential.
Here are three keys to how the Jags can improve to 7-1 against Indy since 2023. Coverage starts at noon on ESPN 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF and at 1 p.m. on CBS.
Keep Jonathan Taylor’s Production to a Minimum
The Jaguars have yet to allow a 75-yard rusher in 23 consecutive games, but Sunday brings in a daunting task: defending Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor led the NFL in rushing yards (1,811) and was awarded first-team All-Pro honors in 2021. He has failed to eclipse 100 yards this season, but has posted 94 and 95 yards in the last two weeks, respectively.
Outside of Taylor’s recent success, he has dominated the Jaguars in his seven years as a pro. He has scored in three straight outings against Jacksonville and has found the end zone in his five games at EverBank. Taylor’s greatest performance came in his rookie season when he posted 253 yards and two scores.
“He’s top of the line, as good as it gets,” defensive coordinator Anthomy Campanile said. “He’s a phenomenal player. He’s just made so many great plays over the course of his career and not just in the run game; he’s been explosive in the pass game too, and they do a great job of getting him the ball, whether it’s in screens, checkdowns.”
Taylor’s name has been at the forefront of trade talks as the NFL deadline looms, but he will suit up. Jacksonville’s front has to mimic its success against premier rushers when facing Taylor if it wants to earn a win Sunday.
Win the Turnover Battle
Sunday’s matchup brings the two ends of the turnover spectrum. The Colts sit at the bottom of the NFL with a turnover differential of minus-nine. They have notched just three takeaways this season while committing 12. Indy is last in both differential and total takeaways, while the Jags have had much more success in both categories.
Jacksonville’s plus-five turnover differential ranks No. 3 in the league and first in the AFC. The Jaguars have turned the ball over just four times and have come up with many crucial takeaways.
Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones has thrown an interception in all but one game this year (Week 5). Jacksonville’s secondary play will be crucial to holding the Colts to short possessions and flipping the field.
Luckily for the Jags, their defense has thrived off a committee-based structure. Four different players have reeled in an interception, three of whom have added two each. Cornerbacks Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones lead the secondary while Foyesade Oluokon has also been a force at the linebacker spot.
Hunter’s Pro Football Focus overall defensive grade of 68.6 ranks 22nd among NFL cornerbacks, and he will look to replicate his success in his second pro season against Jones. Hunter also eyes his sixth straight game with at least one pass defensed as his five are tied for sixth in the AFC.
“You can see his playmaking ability is coming to life, especially in the pass game,” Lewis said. “He goes out and attacks every day, very enthused and just having fun. That energy helps us too. When he’s making plays, when he’s doing what he needs to do, that helps our defense and even our offense, gives us the juice that we need.”
Trevor Lawrence Needs to Keep Rolling
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been successful when facing the Colts, particularly in the Sunshine State. He posted 371 and 244 passing yards in his last two home matchups against them, respectively. Lawrence has thrown two touchdowns in all five of the games and has never had a lower passer rating than 90 in that stretch.
Lawrence has never lost at EverBank Stadium when the Colts are on the opposing sideline. He has also defeated Indianapolis seven times in nine outings, which is his most wins against any opponent in his six-year career.
Despite Jacksonville’s last-second loss to the Houston Texans, Lawrence played efficient football. His four passing touchdowns were his most since matching the total in Week 1, and his 306 yards marked the second straight week with a 300-yard performance.
The Colts have allowed 215.9 passing yards per game, which stacks up to No. 20 in the league. However, the group kept both Minnesota’s Kyler Murray and Tennessee’s Cam Ward to 150 passing yards or fewer in the last two weeks.
“You have to play well every week,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “That’s the mindset for us is it doesn’t really matter what’s going on with the team that we’re playing, they’re still going to have a team full of guys ready to go that are going to want to beat us here in our home stadium. So, we have to be ready.”
Category: Feature Sports News, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
