hat a week the NFL brought us! Is it possible to have a statement game in week two of the season?! Because if so, the Jaguars and Colts both made statements in week two. One of the best parts of the early NFL season is seeing who worked harder in the offseason, your GM or your social media team. Say what you want about the Indianapolis Colts, but they know exactly what they want at quarterback: old, sedentary, and overcompensated. All of that came into play this week as the Jaguars hosted the Colts and sent them packing with a 24-0 loss to send them to the rarely-seen 0-1-1 record.
I am sorry for your loss, Indianapolis Colts! Your season is over!
First and foremost, let’s talk about the Jaguars allowing the voice of reason to grab the wheel in Jacksonville by hiring Doug Pederson. The AFC South is mostly a bottom-feeder division, and the Colts taking it lightly is incredibly fitting. The Jags shut out the Colts, the first time they shut out a team since 2014! Barack Obama was still president! Trevor Lawrence was just 14 years old, and Dabo Swinney was just starting to court him!
Frank Reich admitted to being outcoached, again. While bestowing Midwestern hospitality is a welcome virtue, it doesn’t need to be a cornerstone of your coaching scheme. Nothing was clicking for Indy on offense, as they began the game with a brutal interception and three straight three-and-outs on offense. Things didn’t get better for the Colts, as the Jaguars sacked Matt Ryan five times and Ryan coughed up three picks in this divisional matchup. Long gone are the days of Blake Bortles in Jacksonville, but his soul seemed to inhabit Matt Ryan’s for just a day. Ryan was ineffective, and he didn’t get any help from their stud running back, Jonathan Taylor, either. While it’s Reich’s fault Taylor had just 9 carries, the Jags were happy to limit Jonathan Taylor to 54 rushing yards. Ultimately, the Jaguars shut down every possible threat the Colts’ offense could muster.
Jacksonville focused on cashing in high draft picks on defense over recent seasons, most notably taking Devin Lloyd and Travon Walker in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. Lloyd finished with an interception, and Walker played 90% of snaps and was credited with a quarterback pressure. 2019 top-ten pick Josh Allen (no, the other one) also finished the game with two sacks. Walker was part of the major pressure Jacksonville could put on Matt Ryan. Aside from his sacks, Jacksonville also knocked down ol’ Matty eleven times. While this is bad for Ryan, atl least we now know where Joe Burrow would be comfortable finishing his career.
Yes, there is still plenty of football left but, but there is no competence in the huddle for the Colts, and the mighty Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck handoff has dissolved into Jacoby Brissett handing it off to Philip Rivers, who handed it off to Carson Wentz, who passed the baton to Matt Ryan. Seriously,, what does Ryan Fitzpatrick have to do to get a call from this franchise?
Here is the brutal truth. As of now, Carson Wentz has won this breakup (Yikes, right?!). The Colts have now lost eight in a row in Jacksonville, and it clearly can’t be the Colts are distracted by the notable Indianapolis, Indiana nightlife. Since 2018, the Reich regime has mustered up five wins in September, while losing eleven. Historically, it’s not been a problem since the AFC South has been a joke. Well, times have changed and now the Colts are in danger of becoming the new Jags.
I would tell Colts fans to move on as soon as they can but where do they go? The Pacers?!
[Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Indianapolis_Colts_TD_celebration_at_Miami_Dolphins_OCT2021.png under CC BY SA 2.0]
