3 thrilling stats from the Jaguars’ blowout win over the Colts

The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to the Washington Commanders in the season opener but instead of dwelling too much on the loss, they turned the page and spend the last few days preparing to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.

The Jags were able to fix most of the issues they had last week and they soundly beat the Colts 24-0. In fact, you could make the case it was the best outing they have had in the last three years. Moreover, Trevor Lawrence had what arguably was the most complete game of his young NFL career.

Speaking of Lawrence, here are three thrilling stats from the Jaguars’ dominant win over Indy.

3. Trevor Lawrence had a career game against the Colts in Week 2

After the Jaguars’ loss to the Commanders in Week 1, many fans wanted Trevor Lawrence gone even though he had a solid game. Sure, he missed a couple of throws and lacked touch in a few others. But he wasn’t the reason Jacksonville dropped the game. Still, some fans equated the second-year quarterback to Blaine Gabbert and were already ready to give up on him.

Of course, Gabbert is nowhere near as talented as Lawrence, who went 25-of-30 (83.3 completion rate) with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Colts. This was just the second time in his NFL career that he threw at least two touchdowns with no picks. The other was against — you guessed it — Indy in last year’s finale.

Keep in mind that completing 83.3 percent of your passes when you make 30 attempts or more is no easy task in the NFL. Tom Brady, one of the best quarterbacks ever, has achieved the feat just twice in 277 games.

Meanwhile, Lawrence has already done it once in 19 games. He won’t be able to sustain that efficiency level but he showed in Week 2 that he’s trending in the right direction. What a difference a week makes, right?

The Jaguars defense forced 3 turnovers and recorded 5 sacks vs. the Colts

General manager Trent Baalke has spent the last two years revamping the defense the last two years and it looks like all the additions he’s made in that span finally gelled. Against the Colts, safety Andre Cisco, linebacker Devin Lloyd, and safety Rayshawn Jenkins snagged an interception. Lloyd and Cisco were draft picks in 2021 and 2020, respectively, while Jenkins signed a four-year deal last offseason.

Similarly, four different Jaguars recorded sacks against the Colts. Josh Allen had two and Adam Gotsis also brought Matt Ryan once. They both joined the Jags before Baalke was promoted to general manager full-time. On the other hand, Arden Key and Roy Robertson-Harris — both were Balkee’s additions — also had sacks against the Colts.

Last year, the Jags had a league-low nine takeaways. Two games into the 2022 season, they already got six. They’re currently on pace to log 51 and while it’s unrealistic to keep getting three every contest, they can definitely create 30 to 40.

But as great as the turnovers and the sacks were, the cherry on the top was that the Jaguars didn’t allow a single point. As Zak Keefer pointed out on Twitter, Indy has been shut out three times since 2003 and all those times have come against Jacksonville.

The Colts are riding an eight-game losing skid at TIAA Bank Field and they will have to wait next year to put an end to it. They will have plenty of time to think about it.

1. The Jaguars limited Jonathan Taylor to 54 yards in Week 2

This might not seem like a big deal at first sight but keep in mind that Jonathan Taylor was the 2021 NFL rushing leader and has averaged more than five yards per carry throughout his career. He’s the kind of running back teams lean on to wear defenses down but the Jaguars effectively limited his impact in Week 2.

While Taylor ended the game with a respectable 54 yards, most of them came in the second half, when the game was already out of reach and the Jags were trying to avoid getting burnt on a deep pass. Before halftime, the former Wisconsin Badger managed a measly four yards on five carries. Of course, slowing down Taylor was just part of the equation and it would have been pointless if Jacksonville had allowed Matt Ryan to move the ball.

However, Ryan struggled and ended up throwing three interceptions. Not having Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. certainly hurt, and so did Taylor’s inability to run the ball. Having said that, the Jaguars’ defensive line deserves credit for constantly disrupting the pocket and forcing the veteran quarterback into making mistakes.

While it’s true that Ryan is no longer the quarterback he was in his prime, he’s still a reliable manager. The fact that the Jaguars were able to neutralize him and the Colts’ offense speaks volumes about how much the Jags have improved since head coach Doug Pederson took over earlier this year.