The Jacksonville Jaguars got a high grade in Week 6 in spite of falling to the Indianapolis Colt but they would have surely wanted to earn their third win of the year instead. And for a moment, it look like the Jags were going to get it. They had a lead for most of the game but they couldn’t hold onto it and ended up losing.
This was a frustrating loss because just one month ago, Jacksonville was one of the top teams in the league after beating the same Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers in consecutive weeks. However, they’ve come crashing down since then and have lost three straight games. That’s not the sign of a good team, and head coach Doug Pederson will need to figure out what’s wrong to get back into the win column.
On the bright side, the Jaguars have made strides and shown progress in their last three losses. Sure, nobody likes moral victories, but for a team that’s still learning how to win, that will suffice for the time being. With that in mind, here are three encouraging stats from the Jags’ loss to Indy.
3. The Jaguars WR corps didn’t drop a single pass in Week 6
Trevor Lawrence has been far from perfect this season but he’s also been let down by his wide receivers in key moments. Having said that, the former Clemson Tiger had one of the most efficient games of his career against the Colts, completing 90 percent of his passes for 165 yards with one passing touchdown, two rushing touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Coincidentally, Lawrence got plenty of help from his supporting cast in Week 6 and no skill-position player drop a single pass. This is noteworthy when you take into account that they had five drops in each of the previous two games and many of them came at crucial times.
Also, Week 6 was the first time in 2022 when the Jags didn’t log a single drop. The closest they’d come was in Weeks 1 and 3, when they had just one, respectively.
2. The Jaguars limited the Colts to a measly 45 rushing yards in Week 6
One week after getting demolished by rookie sensation Dameon Pierce, the Jaguars’ run defense limited Indy to just 45 yards on the ground. Sure, the Colts were without Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines but it’s a step in the right direction when you considered that they’ve struggled to stop opposing teams from running the ball.
Back in Week 4, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell’s unit had no answer for running back Myles Sanders who toted the rock 27 times for 134 yards. But without Taylor and Hines, Indy only managed to muster 45 rushing yards and 2.8 yards per carry. Then again, the Colts didn’t need to run the ball in one of the most efficient games of Matt Ryan’s NFL career.
Ryan completed 42 of 58 passes and moved the chains 22 times, so there wasn’t much need for the Colts to run the ball. To make matters worse, they made wide receiver Paris Cambell look like a Pro Bowler.
A second-round selection in the 2019 draft, Campbell hadn’t done much of note during his NFL career but he came big against the Jags catching seven passes for 57 yards and one touchdown. Similarly, rookie Alec Pierce had a productive outing, hauling in three receptions for 49 yards and one trip to the end zone.
On a day in which the Jags struggled to defend the pass, they did a good job of neutralizing the Colts’ running game. If they can once again get after the quarterback and create turnovers at the rate they did early in the season, their defense has the potential to be dominant.
1. The Jaguars RBs totaled 243 rushing yards vs. the Colts
One of the biggest criticisms surrounding head coach Doug Pederson’s tenure in Jacksonville is his decision not to run the ball as much as he should despite the fact that he’s got a couple of talented players in James Robinson and Travis Etienne.
One look at Jaguars Twitter or FB will show you the consensus thinks coach Pederson should run the ball more and lean on Trevor Lawrence less. It’s highly unlikely that he checks social media — unless he has a burner account on Reddit — to see what he should or shouldn’t do on game day but he decided to throw a curveball against the Colts and ran the ball 33 times.
Then again, this isn’t surprising when you take a look at their first matchup of the season. In that game, Jacksonville ran the ball 37 times, five more than in Week 6. Maybe the coaching staff noticed on film session that the Colts have a hard stopping the run but regardless of the reason, the Jags tallied 243 yards against their division foes in Week 6.
Pederson met with the local media and said Etienne has been as good as the coaching staff expected, which has led to an increased role on offense. Similarly, the head coach praised JaMycal Hasty, who had a 61-yard touchdown run against Indy.
While it’s not sustainable to run the football 30 times per game and have Trevor Lawrence attempt less than 25 passes every week, the Jaguars should feel good about their dynamic backfield, which has proven to be a strength this season.