It’s a good thing Chicken Little didn’t see the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Washington Commanders in the season opener. Otherwise, he would have run around saying the sky is falling, which the Jags proved to be false in their dominant 24-0 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
While it’s too early in the season to crown the Jags, Doug Pederson’s team showed significant improvement on both sides of the ball against the Colts. It helped that Indy was without linebacker Shaquill Leonard and wide receivers Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. However, injuries are an inherent part of the game and you need to prepare for them. That’s why you don’t see the Colts not making excuses about not having a full deck.
All things considered, this was a solid win by the Jaguars, and with that in mind, here are three takeaways from the game.
3. The Jaguars played disciplined football (3 penalties) vs. the Colts
There were several reasons the Jags lost to the Commanders in Week 1. One that stood out was their staggering 13 penalties. You can’t simply shoot yourself in the foot so many times and expect to win many games. What’s the point of stopping a team twice only to hand them a fresh set of downs for roughing the passer?
Against the Colts, Jacksonville played a more disciplined brand of football, one that helped them score 24 points unanswered points. They were flagged just three times, which is a great step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see if they can keep the penalty count low against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.
2. The Jaguars defense dominated the Colts’ offense in Week 2
Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Ashton Duley in the Colts’ first offensive drive of the game. That was his first pick with the Black and Teal and sixth in his career.
Looking back, Jenkin’s interception should have been a sign of things come, as Mike Caldwell’s unit registered three turnovers and five sacks. Moreover, they kept All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor in check for most of the game. While he finished the game with 54 yards a closer look will show that Jacksonville neutralized it in the first half, limiting him to four yards on five carries.
Slowing down Taylor then helped open pass rush lanes, which then helped the Jaguars’ defensive front wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage. After the game, head coach Doug Pederson praised Caldwell’s scheme and the front seven.
“It really starts with eliminating the run game“, Pederson said. “We knew we probably weren’t going to stop it completely but you try to stymie it just a little bit and that kind of opens up some pass rush lanes and I thought our defensive line played extremely well”.
Matt Ryan showed that he might not be the upgrade at quarterback the Colts thought he would be when they traded for him in the offseason, going 16-of-30 for 195 yards with three interceptions.
You could make the case that Indy was depleted for the game and that’s true but the Jaguars also took advantage of the situation, something they’ve failed to do in recent years. That wasn’t the case today though and they showed how good they can be when they’re running on all cylinders (and healthy).
1. Trevor Lawrence executed in the Jaguars win over the Colts
It’s easy to overreact following Week 1. After all, fans and talking heads have had several months to build expectations (sometimes to an unrealistic degree) around NFL teams, so it’s understandable to feel frustrated when they fail to live up to them. Conversely, fans tend to forget that it’s just one game, and even if a club loses, there’s plenty of time for them to address most issues, which is precisely what the Jags did in Week 2.
After the game, Doug Pederson said that he was proud of his players and how resilient they are, “just to bounce back from a loss last weekend to putting things together this weekend against a division opponent”.
The Jaguars’ offensive line give Trevor Lawrence optimal enough time to read the field and didn’t allow a single sack. Although the signal-caller missed a couple of throws, he was efficient for the most part, completing 25 of 30 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Although running backs James Robinson and Travis Etienne had to fight for every single yard they got, the coaching staff kept feeding them the ball, which ultimately paid off, as Robinson broke off a 37-yard touchdown run.
Wide receiver Christian Kirk had a productive outing for the second straight week. Even though he failed to top the 100-yard mark, he reached the end zone twice. After the game, Lawrence met with the media and talked about what makes the 2018 second-round pick a matchup problem:
“His versatility, being able to put them outside, inside in the backfield, wherever you want them, but then mixed with all the other threats we have the guys that running back, the other wideouts are tight ends. It just creates problems for defenses and as much s we can keep using that to our advantage”.
The Jaguars put up a complete against the Colts and are 1-10 in 2022. If they play the way they did in Week 2, they will have a legitimate chance against Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.