3 Keys For the Jaguars Offense Vs. the Colts Defense

The Jacksonville Jaguars have shuffled, reworked and made surprising decisions to shape their offense to kick off the 2020 NFL season. Now they will face their first test of the season—and a division opponent to boot.

Gardner Minshew II is the entrenched starter and he’ll have Pro-Bowler DJ Chark at his disposal. The Jags will also be working in a rookie undrafted free agent James Robinson at running back behind an offensive line that has been doubted more often than not this offseason.

If the Jaguars offense plans on finding success against the Indianapolis Colts, it will take these three keys.

Dede Westbrook (12) and Gardner Minshew II (15) connected for 72 yards and 1 TD versus the Colts in 2019. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Create Separation Downfield

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, simply throwing it deep and hoping DJ Chark is somewhere in the vicinity every single time isn’t a solid game plan. Fortunately for the Jaguars, creating a downfield threat is where they have a probable advantage. The Colts signed Xavier Rhodes this offseason but have little to no depth behind him.

Starting opposite Rhodes is Rock Ya-Sin who had two tackles against the Jaguars in the Week 17 Jax win last season. Chark, Chris Conley, DeDe Westbrook and Laviska Shenault all have the speed that can beat what the Colts bring to the secondary. Additionally, they’ve proven an ability to undercut coverage and get downfield.

During that Week 17 win, Conley, Westbrook, Cole, Chark and running back Ryquell Armstead all had at least one explosive play (a reception of 15+ yards) en route to a unit-wide 295 receiving yards.

Dede Westbrook scores a 2-point conversion against the Colts in 2019. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Chark is keeping an eye on Rhodes though; the former 2013 first-round pick in his first season with the Colts was a step slower in 2019. But Chark is aware of what the corner can bring to the game.

“They’re really good at cover two, it’s one of their staples. A corner like [Xavier] Rhodes who’s a big guy that helps the scheme…You know you have a defensive back who’s playing comfortable and confident, that’s a tough thing to go against. So, we expect that, and my goal is to really just study all of these guys, see their strengths, see their weaknesses. And know whatever play is called, how to attack a weakness or how to create a weakness in his game because of the play.”

Chark went on to tell reporters he thinks having the rookie Laviska Shenault on the field should help draw some coverage and allow the Pro-Bowler to break away from the double teams that he was being faced with at the end of the 2019 season. Still, both he and Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden also acknowledge the push that will have to come up front if Chark and others have any hope of breaking free.

“They also have a good defensive line and linebackers which makes things usually easier for the defensive back to sit or jump routes and play more comfortable,” explains Chark.

“The biggest benefit that I have, is I know the play and it’s kind of hard to disguise defenses when you study them. So, I feel like I have the upper hand when it comes to preparing. But at the end of the day, they are good in what they do best, so it’s going to be challenging.”

Adds Gruden, “They crawl up in your grill and make it hard to get crossing routes, make it hard to get the ball down the field because their pressure is very good on their defensive line with their four-man rushes, some of their five-man rushes they get home. So, it will be a great challenge for us to recognize man, zone, and then when it is man, be able to separate and get us some good plays.”

Speaking of that front, winning that battle is the second key to winning the game.

Dominate the Trenches

“They do a great job with their front. It’s not a very complicated front,” starts Gruden.

“They sprinkle in some blitzes that are nuisance type blitzes that give you problems, but really, it’s about the movement with the defensive lineman.”

Sometimes being good is better than being revolutionary. If the Colts have the pieces to line up and smash in their opponent, then why even bother making it more complicated than it needs to be, as Gruden alludes.

The Jaguars offensive line returns every starter from last season, which provides consistency…but lends a modicum of worry given the inability to create a push in the room game at times. Against the Colts, Gruden is focused on establishing that gap integrity and staying sound amidst movement.

Minshew was sacked 3 times vs. the Colts in Week 17 of 2019. Gruden says they have to give him time on Sunday. © Jenna Watson/IndyStar, Indianapolis Star

“They’re strong, they’re physical, and they have quick movement,” continued Gruden.

"We have to handle the movement. They stunt the three-technique, they’ll stunt the backside defensive end, the frontside end. The linebackers do a great job of scraping. They’re fast and they can run so how we handle the movement will be if we have any success in the running game or not. Even in the passing game, [in] their ability to stunt and rush the passer, they’re very effective in what they do so it’ll be a great challenge for us.

“They have great skill upfront, [Denico] Autry, [DeForest] Buckner, obviously Justin Houston’s still there [and] he’s a good player and they rotate guys in there. They’re effective in what they do. The defensive coordinator, [Matt] Eberflus, does a good job of putting these guys in positions to succeed and also moving them around to make it hard on the offense to get set.”

This is even more crucial without Leonard Fournette. The running back had an uncanny ability to find a hole when there was none, and force a lane on his own will. Rookie James Robinson has shown coaches enough in camp to be tapped the starter for Sunday, but in his first NFL action, he will understandably need some openings from his line.

Against the Colts in that 2019 win, the Jags (albeit without Fournette) were able to only ground out 67 yards.

Give Gardner Time

Of course all of this is moot if Gardner Minshew II doesn’t have time in the pocket. He had a tendency to escape perhaps earlier than necessary as a rookie, letting the play break down while he scrambled. It made it exciting to watch, especially when he pulled it off. But Gruden is coaching Minshew and his line to hang in there an extra second to make the extra read. Admittedly, the Colts defense will present a challenge right off the bat.

“Well the challenge is good because they give you different looks,” explains Gruden.

“They make everything look the same and then all of a sudden, it’s [different looks]. They do a great job disguising their intent. Then when they have to have it, they play great tight man to man. They get all over.

“But most importantly, we have to protect the quarterback and give our receivers time to get off the jam, get in the holes in cover two or cover three, whatever coverage they’re playing, palms, and be able to have the quarterback be able to read it out. They do a great job if you get forced out of your first read, they can take that thing away. Sometimes you have to get back to your second or third progression against this defense and you have to have time to do that. So, it’s going to be critical for our offensive line to give us that time and Gardner to make sure he recognizes the zones and the receivers as well.”

Minshew threw for 300+ yards twice last season, interestingly enough both in losses, but he had one of his best overall games against the Colts to close out the season. He threw for 295 yards with 69.2% completion. He had three touchdowns to one interception and averaged 7.6 yards per completion. He was also sacked three times. Keeping the pocket and taking his time through his progressions will be the cog for every other facet of this game plan to work.

Bonus: Know Your Opponent

Each year is a new team and new challenges. But we’ve mentioned the 2019 Week 17 game several times because it is pertinent. Being the last opponent that the Jags offense faced only to turn around and face them first, there is bound to be some carry-over. That works both ways but without game tape from the preseason, the Jaguars are willing to take notes from whatever area possible.

“You always kind of know your divisional opponents a little bit more. Having a team that has had a staff that’s been there for a little while, you can kind of see year to year how they change. I’m expecting they’ll definitely have some wrinkles for us, but I think we have a pretty good grasp on what they try to do since they are in division,” explains Minshew.

“I think [looking at] last year, there’s definitely things that we can all build on. I think we have a young team, a lot of these same guys coming back. I think ending on the right note definitely gives us confidence going into the offseason. Coming into the season, we know it’s a whole new [set of] challenges, but we’re very confident, regardless of what happened last year, where we’re confident in the preparation we put in, the work we put in. More than anything we’re just excited to get out there.”

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