Jaguars offense struggling vs. Colts, defense stepping up

The Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9 struggled to put points on the scoreboard in the last two weeks. Things haven’t been much different against the Indianapolis Colts, failing to take advantage of the many opportunities their defense has granted them in the first half. After two quarters of football, the Jags are trailing 20-9.

The Jaguars’ defense has stepped up big in Week 10, constantly pressuring Colts quarterback Carson Wentz, who is 12-of-21 for 98 yards with no touchdowns. Even though the offense punted the ball five times in the first half, the defense has limited Indy’s offense to one touchdown. Defensive tackle Taven Bryan is once again applying pressure in the middle and sophomore DaVon Hamilton registered his first sack of the 2021 campaign.

The Colts’ other touchdown came on a blocked punt that linebacker EJ Speed returned. Penalties are once again hurting the Jaguars. Tight end Chris Manhertz was flagged twice in the first half. First for a false start and later for holding in the second quarter. Allen also got a penalty for roughing a passer late in the second quarter.

The Jaguars need their offense to step up score points against the Colts.

After beating the Miami Dolphin in Week 6, the Jaguars went on to lose their following game. It looks like history could repeat itself in Week 10. After beating the Bills, the Jags are losing to the Colts, and it’s mostly due to their inability to score points. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence avoided the pass rush and used his legs in several plays, running for 32 yards on four scrambles in the first half. However, he went 3-of-14 for 36 passing yards.

In the last three games, they’ve scored only two touchdowns, and their offense continues to be bad on third downs. They were in the NFL cellar in third-down conversion and things haven’t improved much against the Colts, going 1-of-8 in against Indy. On the bright side, kicker Matthew Wright is 3-of-3 in his field-goal attempts, including a 56-yarder.

The game isn’t out of reach yet and if the Jaguars can get something going on on offense, they may be able to come back.