After failing to get their first season-opening win since 2013, the Indianapolis Colts are headed to Jacksonville, a place that they haven’t won since 2014.
Because of the disappointing stat, Frank Reich has a career record of 4-4 against the Jaguars. Entering the season, there was a heightened awareness around the organization that they needed to get off to a fast start to the season so they don’t have to climb out of a hole.
This is a very important matchup for the Colts. Not only because it is a divisional opponent but also because they need to avoid falling to 0-1-1 ahead of the gauntlet they have starting in Week 3.
After Sunday’s game, they have the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, and the Denver Broncos before they face Jacksonville again at home.
But they can’t be caught looking ahead, especially with the woes that they have had in Duval County. Here are five things to keep an eye on when the two teams hit the field:
1
Matchup of friends
There has been a lot of change since Frank Reich won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator under Doug Pederson with the Philadelphia Eagles. Reich has seen a turntable at the quarterback position since he took over as the head coach of the Colts. Pederson was surprisingly let go by the Eagles, despite bringing the organization a championship. After taking a year off, he joined the Jaguars organization this past offseason and will be trying to turn things around for them finally.
This isn’t the first time that the two coaches have faced off. During Reich’s first year in Indianapolis, Pederson got the best of his friend when the Eagles beat the Colts 20-16 back in 2018. Both coaches have a similar approach because they both call the play calls for their respective offenses. The question is, which coach better understands his friend’s tendencies when he has the headset on?
While each coach likely has evolved their philosophies since the last time they worked together, they can still give their defensive coordinators some insights on what they believe they will see on Sunday. The battle of offensive-minded coaches will be on display in Duval County.
2
Who steps up in the passing attack?
One of the biggest concerns entering the season was who was going to help the offense move the ball on a consistent basis outside of Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr.
The pair showed they can carry the unit on their back by being responsible for 57% of the production against the Houston Texans. But that can’t be sustainable, especially when the teams start to face better defenses that scheme ways to take the two away.
The leading receiver outside of Pittman Jr. last week was Nyheim Hines. He caught six balls for 50 yards. If there was one thing that showed some promise that the offense can use some help outside of Taylor and Pittman Jr. came in overtime when Matt Ryan put the team in field position to win the game. He utilized Hines, Parris Campbell, and Mo Alie-Cox to help move the chains.
Matt Ryan made some plays for the #Colts in overtime.
10-yard rush
12-yard pass to Parris Campbell on 3rd down
15-yard pass to Nyheim Hines
13-yard pass to Mo Alie-Cox while taking a shotRyan showed up in the clutch and put his team in position to win this game. pic.twitter.com/whwUs7pUoP
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 13, 2022
Those three along with Alec Pierce (if he clears concussion protocol), Ashton Dulin, Mike Strachan, and Kylen Granson are going to be needed to help win games for Indianapolis throughout the season.
Regardless of who it is, one or two of them will need to step up and help the Colts overcome their issues of winning in Jacksonville on Sunday.
3
Getting pressure on Trevor Lawrence
One of the biggest issues that the Colts had during the collapse against the Jaguars that eliminated them from making the playoffs was the lack of ability to get their hands on Trevor Lawrence. The young quarterback had plenty of time to sit in the pocket and dissect the defense so he was able to make easy completions all game. The Indianapolis defense was only able to get one sack and two quarterback hits that afternoon.
Looking back on Jacksonville’s Week 1 loss to the Washington Commanders, Lawrence got hit plenty throughout the matchup. The Commanders were able to get a couple of sacks but logged 10 QB hits. If the Colts want to make sure they leave with a win then they need to get as close to those numbers and that starts with getting to the quarterback early in the game, not later.
If there was one thing that the defense lacked in the first three quarters against the Texans was that they weren’t getting to Davis Mills to help throw him off his rhythm. But that switched in the fourth quarter after E.J. Speed was able to force a fumble with his hit on Mills.
This was the play that shifted momentum for the #Colts in the 4th quarter. Laremy Tunsil does point out E.J. Speed before the snap, wonder if he wanted Brevin Jordan to chip Speed?
Speed does a great job of using the free rush to close down on Davis Mills to force the fumble. pic.twitter.com/7RwLq71lBN
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 12, 2022
After that play, the defense was playing with better energy and started getting pressure on the quarterback.
3rd-and-6 with 1:30 left in the 4th for the #Texans
Loved the sudden line shift by Ifeadi Odenigbo which helps Yannick Ngakoue get early pressure on the QB.
Can't but wonder if Stephon Gilmore got his hands under the ball if the game ends in a #Colts win? He had a lot of room. pic.twitter.com/fByiOj2NqD
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 12, 2022
Then in overtime, Kwity Paye tried to send his team home with a victory with his two sacks.
Kwity Paye was just dominant to start overtime. Sacks on 1st and 3rd down to force the three-and-out and give the #Colts a shot to go win it. pic.twitter.com/qquGpCktiP
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 13, 2022
Paye will be looking to build upon his solid performance against Houston. The second-year edge rusher finished with seven tackles (six solo), two TFL, two sacks, and two QB hits. His counterpart, Yannick Ngakoue will be looking to get some revenge against his former team.
Ngakoue has faced the Jaguars since he left the organization but this will be his first time playing in Jacksonville in a different uniform. Gus Bradley needs the pair to help make a difference on Sunday. But it can’t just be the two, the rest of the rotation in the defensive front will need to do their part as well.
If they can get their hands on Lawrence as much as they can to start the game then it should help the Colts be on the better end of the scoreboard when the clock hits zero.
4
Offensive line needs to be more dominant
The Colts offensive line has a reputation of being one of the best in the NFL but it didn’t look like it throughout the game against the Texans. The unit struggled at times to open up rushing lanes for Jonathan Taylor and had protection issues which didn’t help out Matt Ryan in his first game with the team.
There is just too much money invested in this part of the roster for that to happen. Per OverTheCap, Indianapolis is spending $42.8M this season on the offensive line, which is the fifth highest in the league. They will be tested on Sunday when they face young pass rushers like Josh Allen and Travon Walker.
In the last matchup between the Colts and Jags, Allen had four tackles, (3 solo), two TFL, two sacks, and two QB hits. Walker, the 2022 first overall pick in the draft had an impressive NFL debut. Against Washington, the rookie finished with four tackles (three solo), one TFL, one sack, one QB hit, one PD, and an interception.
It is important that the Indianapolis offensive line sets the tone on their opening drive. They need to dominate the trenches and make sure their quarterback finishes the game without any green on his jersey.
5
The kicking game
It is no secret that if a team isn’t winning all three phases of the game then one of the units can end up costing a chance to win. The special teams don’t deserve the complete blame for why the Colts tied with the Texans, but they certainly played a part. The kicking game was a detriment for Indianapolis at the end of last week’s game.
It wasn’t just the missed field goal that would have won the game for Indianapolis. The biggest issue was when Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a ball out of bounds after they tied up the game and at the start of overtime. Field position can make or break teams so they can’t afford to have their opponents starting their drives at the 40-yard line. Especially at a crucial point of the game.
This performance combined with past struggles led to the Colts deciding to move on from Blankenship. So now the question is, who will be kicking in Jacksonville on Sunday?
The team signed Chase McLaughlin and Lucas Havrisik to the practice squad to battle it out for the spot on the roster. We likely won’t get an answer on it until this weekend when the team has to make any roster moves off the practice squad by 4 PM EST on Saturday. Unless Frank Reich does confirm who will be the kicker at some point prior.
Ideally, the Colts won’t have to kick a field goal to win the game but they will need whoever wins the job to keep the ball inbounds and between the uprights when their number is called on Sunday.
