Jaguars vs. Colts: Breaking Down Indianapolis' Game Plan

The Indianapolis Colts suffered an embarrassing 42-20 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday night, and it's not exactly the kind of loss that's easy to forget. 

After all, repetition is the key to learning, and the Colts have now repeated the exact same loss to Bill Belichick and the Patriots both on the road and at home. 

But healing is on the horizon, and it comes in the form of a home game against the 1-9 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts have won four consecutive outings against Jacksonville, with the sole loss of the Andrew Luck era coming on a last-second Cecil Shorts touchdown in 2012. 

The Colts' last four wins over Jacksonville have come by an average of 24.5 points, and the Colts will look to continue their dominating ways on Sunday. How can the Colts coaches get back on track with a convincing win? 

Offense: Continue to Utilize Coby Fleener

During the Colts' loss to the Patriots, tight end Coby Fleener had a career-high 144 yards in a breakout performance. This came one week after Fleener put up 77 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants, perhaps a sign of Fleener putting things together. 

It was especially encouraging to see Fleener make contested catches and win one-on-one battles against the Patriots, since most of his production in the past has come from blown coverages and well-built route combinations. 

Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton should continue to scheme Fleener open looks, but if the third-year tight end can continue to win his matchups in man coverage, the Colts offense could survive Dwayne Allen's brief absence without missing a beat. 

Against the Jaguars in Week 3, Fleener had 49 yards and a touchdown, and his work up the middle opened things up for T.Y. Hilton to make big plays on the outside. Fleener picked up two first downs on short, quick passes on the Colts' first drive, and he picked up big plays later. Fleener did drop an easy big-play touchdown, however, and those are the kind of consistency issues that he'll have to clean up to continue in his development. 

Offense: Find Balance, Somehow

It's a running (no pun intended) gag at this point, but the Colts' running game is completely nonexistent. The Colts are the league's most pass-heavy team, and not because the team doesn't want to run the ball. 

Chuck Pagano and Pep Hamilton have long been proponents of a balanced offense, especially one with power-running roots. But the Colts don't have the personnel for that, and while it took them longer than many fans wished, the coaches have realized that a high-powered passing offense is the best way to keep the Colts offense purring. 

But without any semblance of balance, the Colts offense can be slowed by innovative coaches. Belichick kept the Colts limited by keeping a safety over the top of T.Y. Hilton and running Darrelle Revis across from Reggie Wayne, for example. 

Andrew Luck currently has less support from the running game than almost any other quarterback in the league. The Colts are 29th in the league in rushing DVOA, per Football Outsiders, and now their most effective running back in Ahmad Bradshaw is out for the season. 

Can the Colts manufacture a running game with Trent Richardson, Dan Herron and any other potential scrap-heap pickups? Not with their current game plan.

The Colts must do a better job of identifying weak fronts to run again and executing run blocking out of passing sets. If they can't do that, then the team must be able to manufacture rushing-type production from the passing game via quick slants, screens, etc. 

The Jaguars present an opportunity to experiment with such things, and the Colts must take advantage before more intimidating opponents come to town. 

Defense: Pressure Blake Bortles

Pass rush has been an issue with the Indianapolis defense throughout the year, despite a sack total that's been inflated by playing poor quarterbacks and scheming effective stunts. 

The Colts have been less effective against better quarterbacks, however, forcing just one sack against Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Nick Foles and Peyton Manning combined. They didn't force a single sack in their blowout losses against Pittsburgh and New England. 

When the Colts faced the Jaguars in Week 3, they only got to Blake Bortles once in the half in which he played. Bortles has been sacked 23 times this season, eighth-most in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Despite the rookie's athleticism, there are sacks there for the taking. The Colts should have an opportunity to get the pass rush back on track, and they can't afford to let Bortles sit in the pocket and find his young pass-catchers down the field. 

The Colts need to make a statement in this game and dominate from start to finish. Pressuring Bortles is the best way to do that. 

Defense: Set the Edge

Jaguars running back Denard Robinson has had a breakout season this year, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and currently ranking 10th in Football Outsiders' rushing DVOA. He's one of the Jaguars' best offensive weapons and one of the few people the defense will have to key on. 

But while the Colts defense has struggled to defend power runs up the middle, especially against New England last week, keeping sweeps, stretch runs and tosses contained has been one of the front seven's few strengths. 

Direction	Left End	Left Tackle	Middle	Right Tackle	Right End
Attempts	15	6	46	9	9
Yards	88	26	168	60	43
Average	5.9	4.3	3.7	6.7	4.8

Robinson has run well this season, but his success has certainly correlated with how far outside he's asked to run. 

If the Colts can keep the edge contained, they should be able to keep Robinson (who is ranked second-to-last in Pro Football Focus' Elusive Rating) limited in the rushing game. By limiting Robinson, the Colts can force the Jaguars into a one-dimensional passing offense as they try to keep up with Andrew Luck. 

More one-dimensional passing leads to more sacks and turnovers, which is something a down fanbase could drastically use.