The Indianapolis Colts continued on their road trip this Sunday for a week two matchup against a familiar divisional foe, the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts led the series all-time coming into the game, 26-16. The Jaguars have won every time they have hosted the matchup, dating back to 2014. Indianapolis was favored by three points before the game. 

The Jaguars rolled at home and evened their record at 1-1. The Colts, after picking up a few first downs, threw an interception to open up the game. Jacksonville quickly moved the ball down the field and scored to get on the board first. After trading punts, the Jaguars put up another touchdown, largely due to a 37-yard James Robinson scamper. They added a 52-yard field goal as the first half wound down to stretch the halftime lead to 17-0.

The action subsided until the end of the 3rd quarter, when the Jaguars went on a 12-play, 92-yard touchdown drive capped off with a five-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk. The Colts drove down the field to try to answer, but an offensive pass interference call forced a fourth down attempt from the 13, and it fell incomplete. After a three-and-out, the Colts got into the red zone on another drive, but again turned the ball over on downs. Matt Ryan later threw back-to-back interceptions separated by a Jacksonville punt, and the game ended 24-0.

Trevor Lawrence had a very efficient day for the Jaguars, completing 25 of his 30 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Ryan, on the other hand, struggled to string together completions and threw three interceptions. Jonathan Taylor rushed for an uncharacteristically low 54 yards against a stacked box where he didn’t have any running room. The Colts’ only somewhat standout performer was wide receiver Ashton Dulin, who caught five passes for 79 yards. 

Final: JAX 24-0 IND

Analysis

Today’s game was an all-around embarrassment for the Indianapolis franchise. Most of us were familiar with the narrative that the Colts can’t win in Jacksonville, but they were still favored and were a mismatch on paper. Offensively, the Colts couldn’t get anything going. They had flashes of decent drives especially toward the end, but those were mostly negated by turnovers on downs. Indianapolis looked pretty inept on defense, didn’t do well tackling and allowed lots of quick-hit passes for decent gains. Perhaps the only sliver of optimism that can be taken from a game like today’s is that Michael Pittman, Jr. and Alec Pierce, the top two receivers, and Shaquille Leonard, were all sidelined. Nevertheless, being stomped by one of the lower-tier teams in the league isn’t something that the Colts will want to remember. 

Around the Division

The Colts have fallen out of their share of the division lead at 0-1-1. The Titans, who started the season 0-1, face arguably the best team in the league in the Bills on Monday Night Football. The Texans will also have a tough matchup for the opportunity for sole possession of the AFC South, as they face Russell Wilson and the Broncos later this afternoon. 

Looking Ahead

The Colts came out of the easiest portion of their schedule at 0-1-1, and things will get much tougher in the near future. Next Sunday, the Colts will make their Lucas Oil Stadium debut against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. As of now, the Chiefs are opening as three-point favorites at Caesars Sportsbook. The Colts face a tall task to try to right the ship, but a win would be huge for the outlook of this season.

Image: Douglas DeFelice (USA TODAY)