3 Things Colts Defense Must Accomplish to Defeat Jaguars

In Week 1 of the NFL regular season, the Indianapolis Colts fell short at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-21. However, while Trevor Lawrence was accurate and precise, he was also pressured into some rough throws and mistakes from the Colts' defensive front.

Now that four weeks have passed, the Colts have more games under their belt as a defense and will need to be locked in if they want to slow down the Jaguars’ offense.

As is the case with every game this season for the Colts, here are the three goals that they must address defensively if they want to move to 4-2 and sit atop the AFC South once Sunday is all said and done.

#1) Contain Travis Etienne

The Colts do boast a strong defensive front. However, it’s been more from a pass-rushing perspective. When it comes to stopping opposing ground games, Indy could be better.

Right now they’re 19th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (119.2) and 22nd in points allowed per game (23.0). In their first meeting with the Jaguars, running back Travis Etienne went on a tear, compiling 77 rushing yards on 18 carries (4.3 avg.), a rushing touchdown, and 5 catches for 27 yards. This put him at 104 all-purpose yards for the game, which opened up other shots for receivers like Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones to make a bigger impact.

After Etienne’s monster performance last week across the pond against the Buffalo Bills, look for Doug Pederson to go back to Etienne to keep his momentum rolling. If Indy wants to win, they have to limit what Etienne does for the Jaguars’ offense on the ground and through the air.

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#2) Limit Calvin Ridley’s 1st Half Production

In their first meeting of 2023, top Jags wide receiver Ridley popped off in his debut with Jacksonville. He grabbed 8 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets.

What is far more telling is what Ridley did in the first half.

By halftime, Ridley would have 7 catches for 92 yards and his receiving score. While he was limited to a single catch for 9 yards in the second half, the Colts cannot allow Ridley to replicate this performance so early.

Indy adjusted in half two, which made life harder for the former Atlanta Falcon. This time, rookie cornerback JuJu Brents may get tasked with covering Ridley and getting physical with him in man-to-man coverage at the point of attack.

The Colts aren’t going to be at Lucas Oil Stadium this time, so if Ridley kicks off this game similar to Week 1 at EverBank Stadium, it could be a very long day for a young Colts secondary and an afternoon to remember for the Jaguars.

#3) Pressure Trevor Lawrence (Again)

It’s a formula that is proven to work; if you pressure NFL QBs, they don’t throw as accurately or make the best decisions as when they have time in the pocket.

The Colts brought the heat to Lawrence in their first encounter, storing up 6 QB hits and 10 pressures on the former number-one overall pick. This forced Lawrence into a bad interception thrown to Colts cornerback Tony Brown and a fumble.

What helped get the Jaguars’ offense back on track was running effectively and hitting the quick throws to soften up the Colts' coverage and linebackers. However, in the grand scheme, it’s Lawrence who is the most important when it comes to stopping Jacksonville.

The Colts only logged 2 sacks on Lawrence in their season debut, so look for focus to be heightened to bring down the franchise passer more than twice. Also, defensive ends Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam, as well as tackles DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and rotational tackle Taven Bryan, will be big factors in getting to Lawrence and forcing inconsistencies in his game.

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