In this post, we will share the game preview of Indianapolis Colts vs Jacksonville Jaguars. Stick with us and you will get everything you need to know. Yeah, most fans are waiting to watch their favorite team play on the field.
In spite of mistakes like penalties, missed coverages, dropped passes, failures in the red zone, difficulties on third down, and a late fumble, the Jacksonville Jaguars saw some room for improvement and potential in their opening game loss to Washington.
It’s possible that this is the truth for a squad with a bright future, or it might be that this is just misguided optimism brought on by a new head coach, a new staff, and new players in every way. In any case, the Jaguars (1-0) should have a clearer idea of where they stand after Sunday’s game against their AFC South rivals, the Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1).
The Colts Lost Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship After a Draw with Houston
The Colts, who are largely believed to be the team to beat in the division and have spent the previous eight months waiting for this rematch. All these are coming off of a dismal draw against Houston that cost kicker Rodrigo Blankenship his job.
The game ended in a tie, and Blankenship lost his job. Indy was eliminated from the playoffs by Jacksonville in the last game of the 2021 regular season, a 26-11 thrashing that led to the Colts searching for a new quarterback over the summer.
It was Jacksonville’s sixth straight home victory in the rivalry, a slump for the Colts that they claim is more of a fluke than a fundamental fault in how the teams stack up at TIAA Bank Field.
It is a head-scratching run for the Colts that they have been unable to explain. “It isn’t only us and Jacksonville having this problem. “There are other teams that have this same challenge, but they approach it in different ways,” said Nyheim Hines, the running back for Indianapolis.
“If you’re a team in the NFL, out of all 31 teams, there’s going to be someone that always seems to have your number, no matter how often you play them or how you match up with them.”
It Has Been Four Years Since Colts Last Triumphed In Jacksonville
Not since 2014 have the Colts been victorious in Jacksonville. All four visits to Jacksonville have ended in losses for head coach Frank Reich, and none of the active players have ever won a game for Indy in the Sunshine State.
Having gone down there and not winning for seven years is a “strange, unique sort of environment,” Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner said. And it’s not easy. The reason why escapes me at the moment.
And yet, every year is a fresh start. Last week’s loss to the Commanders extended Jacksonville’s road and NFC losing streaks to 18 and 17 games, respectively. The first game under new head coach Doug Pederson was a disaster for the club.
There were 13 penalties committed by the Jaguars, and they also dropped a sure touchdown throw. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence stated, “You have to move forward, take the good and learn from the bad.”
This week, we were presented with a fantastic chance. We need a victory, not because of our previous losses, but because we had a rough week one. This would be significant for us. Following seven consecutive away games in the series, the Colts are adopting a similar strategy.
A phenomenon like this occurs “sometimes in sports that you simply can’t explain,” Reich added. It’s because every time we’ve played down there, they’ve outplayed us and outcoached us.
Former Jaguars Coach Gus Bradley Returns As Defensive Coordinator
The third time is the charm for Gus Bradley, as the Jaguars’ new defensive coordinator marks his return to Jacksonville. This time, he won’t recognize many people on the other team’s bench.
Longtime backup center Tyler Shatley is the only remaining player from Bradley’s stint in Jacksonville (2013-2016). According to Shatley, “he’s a nice man.” “It’s mind-boggling to consider that you may be the last man standing from that dictatorship.
Well, here we are nonetheless. Lots of men from back then are still active players now, but they’re all spread out. One of them is Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
Ngakoue, who was selected by Jacksonville in the third round of the 2016 draft, is on his sixth club in as many seasons. With 37 1/2 sacks, he has the second-most in Jacksonville Jaguars history.
In Ngakoue’s first game versus the Jaguars, which took place in Baltimore that year, he had two sacks. Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson remarked, “It’s always enjoyable playing against Yan.”
He’s a fantastic player. From the inside out, he’s a high-motor man with a lot of edge speed, twitchiness, and suddenness. Since he never stopped working on a play during practice, I never had a break, either.
Pederson And Reich Teaming Up to Win Super Bowl
After working together to lead Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory in 2017, Pederson and Reich remained good friends. After the Eagles’ championship run ended, Reich decided to return to Indy. After a year away from coaching, Pederson joined the Jaguars for the 2018 season.
“I speak to him regularly, certainly not during the season but in the summer, a couple of times a month,” Reich said. He has my highest regard. Wonderful human being and an outstanding football coach. It’s fantastic that he’s in our department, I guess.
