Game Preview: Colts @ Jaguars

After their bye week and three straight home games, the Colts are taking their first road trip since traveling to Oakland in October. The forecast for tomorrow calls for thunderstorms in the Jacksonville area, so it will be interesting to see if the elements play a factor, especially for an indoor team like the Colts.

Since their week 10 matchup in Indianapolis, this Jaguars team has a wildly different look. Earlier this week, quarterback Blake Bortles was benched in favor of Cody Kessler, they fired their offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Leonard Fournette landed a 1-game suspension after landing a couple punches against the Buffalo Bills, Guard Andrew Norwell was placed on the Injured Reserve, and last but not least, cornerback Jalen Ramsey is questionable (due to injury) to play after starting every game in his NFL career.

As you can see, that’s a lot of changes so I’ll break them down one at a time.

Bortles: Pulling Bortles this week is a bit puzzling to me because, Bortles has historically put up solid numbers against the Colts. Even in the week 10 loss, Bortles threw for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bortles career stats against Indianapolis are 187 of 302, 61.9% completion percentage, 2384 yards, and 14:3 touchdown to interception ratio. He does have a losing record against the Colts overall (4-5), but boasts a 3-1 record in home games against Indy. Cody Kessler has one game of regular season action this year (against Houston Texans), and the results were so-so. On that day Kessler finished 21-30, for 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 fumble, and was sacked 4 times in a 20-7 defeat.

Nathaniel Hackett: After coaching a sixth ranked offense that propelled the Jaguars to the AFC championship, many people expected more out of Hackett this year. Unfortunately for him, his offense took a nosedive this year. Falling to 22nd overall in total offense, having to fight through numerous injuries, and overcome poor quarterback play, Hackett just couldn’t hack it in Jacksonville. This Sunday, his former duties will be taken over by quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich.

Leonard Fournette: Well, it seems as if the Jaguars’ season of frustration materialized in the form of a Fournette fist fight last week. The second year running back, who has spent much of the season sidelined with a hamstring injury, lost his temper during a loss against the Buffalo Bills. Losing is tough at any point. Jacksonville started out 3-1, and had Super Bowl aspirations to begin the year, but they have now fallen to 3-8, and are in the mix for a top 10 draft pick. The raw emotion of that disappointment has reared it’s ugly head, and the Jaguars are no better for it.

Andrew Norwell: The highest paid guard in the NFL, will unfortunately be sidelined for the rest of the 2018 season. An ankle injury sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills adds to the seemingly never ending list of injuries to the Jacksonville offensive line. Left tackle Cam Robinson, Center Brandon Linder, and backup left tackle Josh Wells were all critical losses. Norwell seems to be the final nail in the coffin for this beat up o-line. Good luck back there Cody Kessler!

Jalen Ramsey: One of the NFL’s most talented young cornerbacks could miss the first game of his career on Sunday. Starting the week off with back-to-back “Did Not Practice” designations, the All-Pro finally logged a limited practice on Friday. Ramsey will be listed as questionable, with no word on whether he will even be available.

The Colts are not without their own set of injuries this week. Jack Doyle’s season came to an end this week, as he suffered a kidney injury that came at the end of Indianapolis’ win against the Miami Dolphins. The tight end spot, which had been a great position for depth, became much more shallow this week. Tight end Mo Alie-Cox is listed as OUT for this week’s matchup as well. This leaves Indy with Eric Ebron, and either Ryan Hewitt or Eric Swoope to fill the TE2 gap. Center Ryan Kelly will miss this week as well. After sustaining a knee injury against Miami, Kelly was unable to practice all week. Quite a few names are listed on the “questionable” designation, but most names in the list should play. The biggest concern of the “questionable” list is probably running back Marlon Mack, who is making his way back from a concussion.

Now that you’re all caught up, let’s talk about this weekend’s game. With all of the changes that Jacksonville has endured just over the course of this week, I have trouble believing they’ll be as competitive as a Bortles-led team. Granted, Kessler has some playing time this year, but changing coordinators and having to deal will several key injuries/suspensions to offensive players will be Cody Kessler’s bane this weekend. I’ll be looking for Darius Leonard, Malik Hooker and the rest of the Colts’ defense to force several turnovers.

For the Colts offense, sticking to fundamentals and just finding a way to move the chains will be critical. It’s supposed to be rainy and sloppy and gross. This week Indianapolis has to protect the ball and figure out a way to be effective on the ground. I think the rain might slow down this fast paced offense a little bit, so maintaining possession with slow methodical drives will be imperative. Andrew Luck has thrown at least 3 touchdowns in 8 straight games. This week however, Luck might need to take a back seat to his running backs and let them keep the ball dry. In week 10, Colts running backs ran for 85 yards on 16 carries, including a big 53 yard scamper by Jordan Wilkins. They’ll need that kind of big play production this week against a defense that still ranks 9th overall.

I think this game might be a lot closer that many may want to believe. If the elements play a factor in this game, Indianapolis’ fast offense, may have to take what the conditions give them. That being said, I don’t think a banged up Cody Kessler-led offense out duels Andrew Luck and company. I’ve got Indianapolis winning their 6th straight to stay close behind Houston in the AFC South hunt.

Indianapolis: 24 Jacksonville: 13

Photo credit: Colts.com

Injury Update: Jack Doyle

Tight end Jack Doyle has been placed on the injured reserve with a season ending kidney injury. This is a tough loss for the Colts. After missing extended time with a hip injury earlier in the season, Doyle had come back to be an effective part of the Colts offense during their 5 game winning streak. Since returning against the Oakland Raiders on October 28th, Doyle had compiled 17 receptions for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. While Doyle has been known to be an effective pass catcher, his true value is as a pass blocker. Pro Football Focus rated Doyle as the #1 pass blocking tight end in the NFL this season. Doyle finishes the year with 26 receptions, 245 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Luckily for Indianapolis, they have good depth at the tight end position. Eric Ebron is having a career best year, as he’s racked up 11 receiving touchdowns (tied for first in NFL). Eric Swoope and Mo Alie-Cox have also been good in limited action. Alie-Cox has collected 6 receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year, while Swoope has come off the practice squad several times this season to grab 7 catches for 83 yards and 3 scores. Both Alie-Cox and Swoope were injured during last week’s game against Miami, but head coach Frank Reich is hopeful that at least one of the two returns this Sunday when the Colts face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Photo Credit: Indianapolis Star

Week 12 preview: Colts vs Dolphins

After starting off the season 3-0, the Miami Dolphins have swum into colder waters since. Having dropped 4 of their last 5, they find themselves competing for a wildcard spot, and are two games behind the New England Patriots (7-3) in the AFC East. Miami is a bit hard to pin down. They’ve shown the ability to beat a top team like the Chicago Bears (who are 8-3), but have also been locked in tight battles or lost to sub-par teams like the Raiders and Lions. A lot of that probably has to do with Miami missing quarterback Ryan Tannehill who has not played since week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Up to that point Tannehill was playing pretty solid football. In five games played, he’s logged just under 1,000 yards, 8 touchdown passes, and has completed over 65% of his passes. While Brock Osweiler was serviceable in Tannehill’s absence, I’m sure the Dolphins are happy to have their starter back under center. Despite the recent slide, this Miami Dolphins team is not without its playmakers.

On the defense, star linebacker Kiko Alonso is currently second in the NFL in combined tackles (89), which sits behind only the Colts’ own Darius Leonard (104). Alonso has been playing very well in pass coverage this season, as he has compiled 6 pass deflections as well as 3 interceptions. He has also forced 3 fumbles this year.

On the offensive side, the Dolphins have a solid left tackle in Leremy Tunsil, that will help protect Ryan Tannehill’s blind side. Tunsil hasn’t allowed a sack all season, but did miss last weeks’ matchup against the Green Bay Packers. We’ll see if the week off will do anything to dampen his stellar performance this year. This will also be a return to Indianapolis for veteran Frank Gore. Gore 528 yards on the ground this year and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. While his yardage isn’t incredible this year, his ability hasn’t faded, and can’t be looked past by this Indianapolis defense.

For Indianapolis, they’ll be playing their third straight home game, and bring a four game winning streak into week 12. Right now, the Colts offense is firing on all cylinders, as they are averaging 36.5 points per game during their winning streak. The defense has also done their part, as they are giving up just 17.25 points per game and have forced 9 turnovers over the same stretch. There are multiple reasons for the Colts awakening from their 1-5 slumber. To start, Andrew Luck is playing MVP level football. Luck has 7 straight games of 3 or more passing touchdowns, and now has 29 touchdowns on the year.

One reason Luck’s stats are so good? The Indianapolis offensive line. The Colts have only given up 10 sacks this year (2nd in NFL and 1st in AFC). More impressive, is that they haven’t given up any sacks in the last 5 games. A clean pocket for Luck equals points on the board for the Colts. Another reason for the boost in Luck’s touchdown production is the excellent communication he has with Eric Ebron and the rest of his tight end group. Luck has connected 15 times for touchdowns to his tight ends, and a big part of that number is Eric Ebron having a career year. Ebron leads all NFL tight ends with 9 receiving touchdowns and also has 1 rushing touchdown.

As the Colts take the field today, they find themselves in a similar scenario as the Dolphins at this point in the season. Both teams are 5-5, both are tied for an AFC wildcard spot (with Titans, Bengals, and Ravens as well), and both are in second place in their respective divisions. The difference, is that Indianapolis is trending upwards, and Miami the opposite. As they meet at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday afternoon, both teams recognize this game could have major playoff implications.

My prediction: Miami has struggled on offense as of late. Averaging just 16 points over the last 3 games, Ryan Tannehill’s return couldn’t come at a better time. That being said, I don’t believe Tannehill will be able to cover up enough holes to keep the Indianapolis defense from collecting turnovers. The Colts defense has logged at least 1 turnover in every game this season, and I don’t think the Dolphins will put an end to that streak. The Colts offense is red hot right now, as they’re averaging over 36 points per game over their last 3. A hot offense paired with a defense who turns the ball over is a nightmare for opposing teams. I’ve got Indianapolis winning this one 34-20, and improving to 6-5 on the year.

Photo Credit: Andy Lyons/ Getty Images

Mack finds the end zone twice as Colts roll over Bills 37-5

Missing their starting quarterback Josh Allen and watching running back LeSean McCoy leave the game with a head injury early on, the Bills struggled to find any offensive consistency against a stifling Colts defense. With both teams feeling each other out in the first quarter, the Colts offense took off in the second quarter. To cap a 13 play 75 yard drive, Andrew Luck found tight end Eric Swoope from 17 yards out for the game’s first score. A wobbly point after attempt by Adam Vinatieri was no good. This was the first of two missed extra points for Vinatieri on the day. Late Monday, Frank Reich told reporters that Vinatieri is dealing with a nagging groin injury. There’s no word on Vinatieri’s availability for next week’s game at Oakland.

The next Buffalo drive, the Bills were moving the ball quite well on the ground. Backup running back Chris Ivory rushed for 28 yards on two carries on the drive. With an opportunity to answer, tight end Charles Clay fumbled the ball at the Indianapolis 22 yard line after a big hit by safety Mike Adams. The ball was recovered by linebacker Darius Leonard at the 26 (the first of 5 Bills turnovers). Three plays later, Andrew Luck found running back Marlon Mack wide open in the flat for a 29 yard touchdown. The ensuing two point conversion put the Colts up 14-0.

A quick three and out by the Bills offense gave Indianapolis the ball back with just over 7 minutes left on the clock. Andrew Luck and the Colts offense took advantage of the opportunity, capping a 9 play 82 yard drive with another passing touchdown, this time to T.Y. Hilton.

With Indianapolis already up 21-0, Derek Anderson might have been feeling some pressure. Four plays into the drive, he tried to force a pass into a tight window to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, only to be picked off by the Colts’ Mike Mitchell. This set the Indianapolis offense up at the Buffalo 32 yard line. Two plays later Nyhiem Hines would take a 14 yard scamper to the Bills 18 yard line, and set up a 36 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal, putting the score at 24-0 at halftime.

In the second half it was much of the same, turnovers by the Bills, and the Colts offense capitalizing on said turnovers. The Colts would add two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and roll to a 37-5 victory.

Marlon Mack and the running game played a big part in this game. Mack rushed 19 times for 126 of the Colts’ 220 rushing yards on the day; as well as, 33 yards and a touchdown on two receptions. The sudden explosion in the run game was pleasantly surprising Indianapolis has struggled to get the run game going this season, but were able to break out against a top 10 rush defense. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, as all three Colts running backs (Mack, Hines,Wilkins) rushed for more than 6 yards per carry on Sunday. Having an effective running game allowed the passing game to take a more conservative approach. Andrew Luck and his receivers were effective and efficient as he completed 17/23 for 156 yards and 4 touchdowns.

With the Colts finally getting their second win of the season, it begs to question if this is the start of a long winning streak for Indianapolis. The Colts will travel to Oakland to face the Raiders next weekend, and there’s a lot of reason to be optimistic of the matchup. Defensive star Khalil Mack was traded to the Bears earlier in the season, the Raiders’ number one wide receiver Amari Cooper was traded to the Cowboys for a first round pick today, and starting running back Marshawn Lynch has been placed on IR. The Raiders’ misfortune, could be a great opportunity for the Colts to get a much needed victory before heading into their bye week. With a tight race in the AFC South, a win would put the Colts right back in the division mix to keep playoff hopes alive. Here’s a look at the current division standings:

Houston 4-3

Tennessee 3-4

Jacksonville 3-4

Indianapolis 2-5

Photo: Thomas J. Russo/ USA Today Sports

The good, the bad, and the ugly of Colts loss to Patriots

Falling to 1-4, the heavily injured Colts just couldn’t keep pace with Tom Brady. Starting the game off, New England marched down the field with a 12 play, 75 yard drive that lasted just over six minutes. This drive, capped by 3rd and Goal pass from Brady to wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, would set the tone for the rest of the game. With 9 players missing to start the game, and several more injured throughout Thursday’s contest, the Colts were scraping the bottom of the depth chart by the end of the night.

The Patriots never trailed in this game. Tom Brady would score four total touchdowns (3 passing 1 rushing), including his 500th passing touchdown of his career. Aside from 2 tipped passes that led to interceptions, Brady played flawlessly. Taking advantage of Colts turnovers, and picking the secondary apart for most of the night, Brady was classic Brady, and that was unfortunate for Indianapolis, as the end of the game favored New England 38-24.

The Good: Andrew Luck is possibly playing his best football of his career. Completing 78 of 123 pass attempts (An NFL record for passes in a five day stretch), Luck has been incredibly efficient. He has thrown for over 800 yards and has a 7:2 touchdown to interception ratio in the last two games. What’s crazy, is that Colts receivers have dropped over a dozen catchable balls in the two game stretch. If he and the receivers can get on the page going forward, this could be a career year for Luck and the Indianapolis offense.

The Bad: As good as Luck is playing, he can’t do everything. The lack of a running game, and injuries piling up, have the Colts forcing Andrew Luck to pick up the slack and put the team on his surgically repaired shoulder. Although the Colts did manage to rush for 4.0 yards per carry on Thursday, the 24-3 deficit in the first half kept them from consistently running the ball. Luck knows passing this much is not sustainable, and head coach Frank Reich echoes those thoughts. Drops that lead to turnovers and drops that could’ve been touchdowns have plagued Indianapolis since the beginning of the season as well. The Colts have dropped over a dozen passes the last two games, and with the depleted receiving core, it doesn’t look to get better.

The Ugly: I’ll say it louder for those in the back…INJURIES! Missing the likes of T.Y. Hilton, Jack Doyle and Marlon Mack is tough. Then you add in all the defensive absences, and you have a big problem. Injuries to Darius Leonard, Kenny Moore II, Nate Hairston and Quincy Wilson have the Colts looking very deep in their depth chart. The Colts preach next man up, and expect all members of the team to perform as if they were starting, but you’ve got to admit that the lack of primary players played a huge difference in Thursday’s matchup. Only 44 players were dressed for Thursday’s game due to the amount of player who are banged up.

Looking Ahead:

Indianapolis’ next test will be in the Meadowlands, as they travel to New York to face the Jets. This will be the Colts 4th away game in 6 weeks. Indy has a 10 day gap in action, so hopefully the extra time to prepare will allow them to get healthy. The Jets are the first of three, 1-3 teams that the Colts will face before the bye. Indy faces rookie quarterbacks over the next two weeks, and will travel to Oakland to face the now Khalil Mack-less Raiders in week 8. They have a good opportunity to go streaking, and put some check marks in the win column before a week 9 bye week. Perhaps they can pull it around and reach 4-4?

Picture Credit Jim Davis/ Boston Globe

Derek Barnett trips up Andrew Luck to preserve Eagles victory

In a situation that many fans didn’t expect to see, the Colts had an opportunity in the waning moments to steal a win in rainy Philadelphia. After trading blows all day, the Eagles began (and nearly ended) the fourth quarter, by running a exhausting 17 play drive that lasted 11 minutes and 18 seconds. Down 16-13, Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense started their game winning drive at their own 21. With consistent passing (8-8 on the drive), and a little help from penalties, (most notably a critical defensive hold on 4th and 5) the Eagles methodically marched down the field, eventually punching it into the end zone with a 13 yard strike from Wentz to tight end Dallas Goedert. That drive left Indianapolis with just 3:02 on the clock. The Colts would take possession at their 25 yard line, starting with a pass play from Andrew Luck to Nyhiem Hines for 12 yards. From there, the Colts would drive down the field into the Eagles red zone. At the Eagles 11, Luck threw a pass incomplete to Eric Ebron leading to second down. The next play, a 7 yards strike to Eric Swoope, put the ball on the Eagles 4 for a 3rd and 3. On 3rd down, Luck would try and float one in to T.Y. Hilton, but Hilton was unable to track the over the shoulder throw. Finally on 4th down, down 20-16, Luck dropped back to pass, evaded defensive end Derek Barnett for a moment, but couldn’t escape gravity, as Barnett caught Luck’s foot sending him to his knees for the sack. A quick 3 and out by the Eagles offense would allow the Colts offense to get back on the field with under a minute left. Playing a deep zone defense, the Eagles didn’t allow a deep pass, but did allow a few quick passes to Ebron and Hines to move the ball to midfield. With 5 seconds on the clock, head coach Frank Reich made an interesting decision. He brought on backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett to try a long Hail Mary. With the Colts on trips formation the Colts snapped the ball, Jacoby rolls out right and launches a deep rocket of a throw to the back of the end zone. With a sea of hands from Colts and Eagles players, the ball is tipped for a moment, but sadly falls to the turf, just out of reach of T.Y. Hilton. That’s how it would end.

The Colts, although unlucky in this game, do have some big takeaways.

The defense showed up to play: For the second straight week, rookie linebacker Darius Leonard was a force. (13 tackles, 9 solo,5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 qb hits) The Colts finally have an identity on the defensive side of the ball, and it looks really promising. Indianapolis managed to sack Carson Wentz 5 times on the day, bringing the season sack total to 10. The switch to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 scheme has been virtually seamless, and Eberflus has them playing at a high level.
Colts won the turnover battle: after at least 2 turnovers in their first two games, the Colts offense was clean in the turnover department this week. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate to too many points, but hey, it’s a stepping stone.
Too many drops in the end zone: Eric Ebron, Chester Rogers, and T.Y. Hilton all missed scoring opportunities, as the ball slipped from their grasp. Much of that can be attributed to a rainy day, but they can’t squander key opportunities in the red zone.
The Colts really need to establish a run game. Not having Marlon Mack (hamstring) or Rober Turbin (suspension), has really made the Colts offense one-dimensional. There is news in the rumor mill of Indianapolis exploring trade opportunities with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Le’Veon Bell, but unless that dream becomes a reality, we’re left with rookie Jordan Wilkins as our leading rusher. (6 carries for 19 yards in week 3)
Congratulations to Adam Vinatieri, who is now tied with Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen with 635 career field goals. Vinatieri has truly had legendary career, and I would expect him to collect his gold jacket when he finally decides to hang up the cleats.

Overall, the Colts did do better than expected. With plenty of adjustments to make, the Colts did manage to make some highlights and keep fans interested. Indianapolis (1-2) takes on Houston (0-3) at home next Sunday for a divisional matchup. While Philadelphia (2-1) will travel to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans.

Roster moves

The Colts waived tight end Erik Swoope today. This move opened up room to bring in defensive tackle Jihad Ward from the practice squad. Swoope, who had a great preseason, found himself in one of the positions that Indianapolis has great depth. With the addition of Eric Ebron in the offseason, Jack Doyle maintaining his starting role, and the recent signing of Ryan Hewitt, likely made Swoope nonessential.

Ward, the former 2nd round pick out of Illinois, finds himself with with a good opportunity in the Colts defense. Due to a potential injury to defensive tackle Denico Autry, who was listed with a, “did not practice” designation today, Ward has the potential to step into a rotational role this Sunday against the Washington Redskins. Ward brings his talents over from Oakland, after spending the last two seasons with the Raiders. His career stat line is (games:21/game starts:14/17 tackles/1.0 sacks/1 fumble recovery).