Jacksonville Jaguars Can’t Get Out of Their Own Way, Lose to Indianapolis Colts 37-3

Sep 29, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Vontae Davis (23) intercepts a pass in front of Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts III (84) in the first quarter of their game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

After a promising first quarter, the Jacksonville Jaguars piled mistakes on top of mistakes and got annihilated by the Indianapolis Colts 37-3. The Jaguars uncharacteristically led 3-0 before Blaine Gabbert’s second interception sealed the Jaguars’ fate. Gabbert has always had the tendency to sink and wallow into his bad play and today was no exception. The game started to feel out of reach on the subsequent drive when Gabbert just couldn’t get it together and stand in the pocket.

Here are a few notes from today’s disheartening loss:

The Good

• Will Blackmon might be David Caldwell’s savviest move so far this year. Even with all the draft acquisitions, Caldwell went out and picked up Blackmon to help in the secondary. Injuries have forced him into the lineup but he’s played great. He had an interception and a second pick called back due to a penalty. He also had a strip sack on Trent Richardson that got called back due to an inadvertent whistle and incompetence by the officials. Blackmon’s a keeper on a team with very few of those.

The Bad

• Cecil Shorts III had a few nice catches, but he arguably was the reason for Gabbert’s two interceptions. He had way too many drops for a player of his talent and if he’s going to get so many targets he has to deliver. Gabbert locked on to Shorts the entire day despite the two picks and other drops.
• The run game was atrocious as it has been all year but the inability to run today was perplexing. The Jaguars were in the game for most of the first half but they were stuck in “run-run-pass” for almost every drive. The few times they tried to pass on first down they couldn’t get much and then ran on second and long. If the Jaguars can’t even muster 50 yards on the ground then this offense has no chance.

The Because Jaguars

• Blaine Gabbert was victimized by way too many drops and a couple tough breaks but he also has to be held accountable for his performance. His demeanor in the pocket changed over the course of the game and he too often decided to bail out of the pocket toward the sideline for no apparent reason. His lack of awareness was the real culprit today despite his skill players letting him down.
• The defensive backfield was pretty terrible outside of Will Blackmon. Andrew Luck did a great job manipulating the pocket and buying time, but there were way too many wide open players down the field. Whether it was busted coverage or just bad individual defense, Luck had an easy time finding open players on obvious passing downs.

I don’t really want to, but I’ll have further analysis with Pro Football Focus grades later in the week.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89