Jaguars vs. Colts: Full Report-Card Grades for Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts didn't get off to the best start, but thanks to a strong performance from the defense, they were able to get the 23-3 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It was a very ugly first half for both teams, combining for five turnovers and just nine points. Andrew Luck seriously struggled to find time in the pocket, getting sacked five times and fumbling twice. Fortunately, the defense was able to keep the Colts in the game, with Vontae Davis getting an early interception, followed by a team effort in forcing a Denard Robinson fumble.
Despite the slow start offensively, the Colts turned things around in the second half. Trent Richardson got things started with an easy one-yard touchdown to cap off a drive, then Luck found T.Y. Hilton shortly after deep on a 73-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars couldn't get anything to work out on offense. The pressure started to get to Blake Bortles, while the running game started to get stuffed. In the fourth quarter, the Jaguars were finally able to get near the end zone but couldn't get a touchdown on four attempts.
This wasn't the prettiest game for the Colts, but there were definitely some positive takeaways. Having said that, let's take a look at the complete report-card grades from Sunday's win.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Consistent pressure on Andrew Luck made it hard for him to do much, getting sacked five times in the first half. He was hurried even more, but he did his best to keep the offense moving, going 10-of-17 with 112 yards.
Luck made his best throw of the first half during the final drive, throwing a dime to T.Y. Hilton on 3rd-and-13 to get the first down while putting his team in the red zone. Unfortunately, the Colts couldn't punch it in, settling for a field goal.
Even though the pressure was still there in the second half, Luck was able to avoid any more sacks and actually made some nice passes. The highlight of the day came when Luck found Hilton deep, letting him run all the way for the 73-yard score.
Overall, the numbers weren't stellar for Luck, completing 21 of his 32 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown without an interception. However, he also picked up 49 yards on eight rushes, finally making some big plays with his legs, which we haven't seen a lot this year.
Had he had more time in the pocket, Luck's numbers would have looked a lot better, but he still had a very good game with few mistakes.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
The running backs couldn't have looked more different in this game, even if the numbers didn't show it. Trent Richardson continued to look like one of the slower backs in the league, while Daniel Herron ran with a lot of speed and aggressiveness to finish through tacklers.
Herron was actually used quite a bit, carrying the ball six times for 25 yards while catching four passes for 29 yards in the first half. A fumble near the goal line was extremely costly, but you could tell that Herron was trying to make up for it once he came back in. The rookie running back kept it up, finishing with 65 yards on just 12 carries.
Meanwhile, it was another tough game from Richardson. He had a couple of good runs along with a one-yard touchdown, but he still averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt on 13 carries, doing little to prove why he should be the team's starting running back.
The future looks bright for Herron, who runs with a lot of purpose, but there are still concerns about Richardson, who continues to look slower than everyone else. Still, the offense was much more balanced than it was last week, and that's really all you can ask for.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The wide receivers weren't able to do much early on, mostly because Luck wasn't getting enough time in the pocket to find them. Hilton made a couple of catches for 41 yards through the first two quarters, but no other receiver had more than one catch at that time.
Hilton was able to have one of the biggest plays of his career in the third quarter, catching a 73-yard touchdown. After his wife gave birth to their daughter in the morning, Hilton had a game he'll never forget, finishing with 122 yards and that score on just four receptions.
Many were surprised to see Reggie Wayne struggle so much. He seemed to be a step slow on every pass intended for him, but thanks to some garbage-time catches, he was able to keep his three-catch streak intact but finished with just 10 yards.
After this game, it's become pretty clear that Donte Moncrief is now the No. 3 receiver ahead of Hakeem Nicks. The rookie caught four passes for 38 yards, while Nicks caught just one for 16.
Coby Fleener continued to try and make up for Dwayne Allen's absence in the passing game, but wasn't as productive as he was last week. He caught just two passes for 28 yards on four targets, dropping one pass and looking lost in the end zone on another.
Wayne struggling hurts the unit's grade a bit, but it's clear by now that Hilton and Moncrief are going to be a very exciting duo down the road after another productive game from the two.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Joe Reitz replaced Gosder Cherilus this week at right tackle, and it was not a good start, getting burned several times in the first quarter by Chris Clemons, including on a third-down sack near the red zone.
The offensive line continued to get shredded in the first quarter, allowing three early sacks that resulted in two fumbles. By the end of the first quarter, Luck had been sacked four times, including three from Clemons. At the end of the first half, Luck had been taken down five times.
Luck didn't get sacked in the second half, but the offensive line continued to allow pressure. Things were a little better in the running game, but this should have been a better performance considering the talent they were going up against.
This offensive line really hasn't look good since A.Q. Shipley was benched for Jonotthan Harrison, and that could be a problem once the playoffs begin.
Grade: D+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
It was a much better game from the Colts defensive line compared to last week's loss against the Patriots. Corey Redding, Ricky Jean Francoise and Montori Hughes all made crucial plays early on to make key stops and force the Jaguars to punt.
Having Arthur Jones back appeared to be a big lift for the run defense, doing a much better job of slowing down the Jaguars. Denard Robinson picked up just 25 yards on 14 carries, while the team as a whole picked up 80 total yards on the ground while averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.
A good chunk of those yards came from Bortles as well. If you ignore his runs, the Jaguars running backs put up just 56 yards on 18 attempts. There weren't any individuals on the defensive line that stood out in stopping the run, but it was a team effort that helped make things difficult for the Jaguars on the ground.
Grade: A
Linebacker
6 of 10
It's been a rough year for the inside linebackers, but they showed up early on Sunday. Jerrell Freeman was especially productive, making big hits behind or near the line of scrimmage. D'Qwell Jackson blitzed in the third quarter and was able to get his third sack of the season.
The two inside linebackers also combined for 1.5 sacks, making things difficult for Bortles whenever one of them blitzed. Jackson still struggles in pass coverage, but the two looked much better than they have in any game this season.
Despite a quiet first half from Erik Walden, he came out on the first play of the second half and read a screen pass beautifully to get a big tackle for loss. On the same drive, he laid a nice hit on Blake Bortles to force a third-down completion.
Bjoern Werner wasn't as effective rushing the passer, but he did make some nice plays in the backfield against the run. He finished with five total tackles, including one for a loss, and it's become clear that he's starting to improve considerably compared to his rookie season.
The linebackers made a huge difference against the run and rushing the passer in what might have been their best game collectively all season. Sure, it was against the Jaguars, but there was still a noticeable difference in how they played.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Vontae Davis showed early on why he's been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL this season, getting an early interception on Blake Bortles. It wasn't the best throw, but Davis made a nice jump to get the ball.
With Greg Toler out due to a concussion, Darius Butler was asked to step in as the No. 2 corner. Injuries have slowed Butler down this season, but he held his own and wasn't exposed by the Jaguars passing game.
The biggest surprise of the game was LaRon Landry, who made his presence felt for the first time since coming back from his four-game suspension. The Colts weren't afraid to blitz him, and when they did, it usually worked. There were back-to-back plays when the Colts blitzed Landry, with the safety getting to Bortles on both plays to rack up 1.5 sacks.
Mike Adams and Sergio Brown did a good job containing the big pass plays. In fact, the Jaguars really only had one big pass play, with Marqise Lee going for 37 yards. Other than that, the Jaguars didn't have one pass play longer than 20 yards.
Bortles couldn't get anything going in this one, finishing the day with just 146 yards and an interception on 15-of-27 passing. The rookie quarterback averaged just 5.4 yards per attempt and never really had open receivers to throw to thanks to some disruptive play from the Colts secondary.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Once again, the Colts showed why the have arguably the best special teams unit in the NFL thanks to some reliable kicking and punting. However, the special teams also showed up in the return game thanks to Josh Cribbs, who was signed earlier in the week.
On the opening kickoff, Cribbs took the ball deep out of the end zone, but he broke free and went 46 yards with the ball. Later in the game, he returned a punt all the way for a touchdown despite initially bobbling the ball, and while the play was called back, it showed everyone what Cribbs could do this season.
Adam Vinatieri remained perfect kicking, making all three field goals and both extra points. The 41-year-old has made all 25 field-goal attempts, making him a legitimate candidate for his third career Pro Bowl.
Pat McAfee helped the Colts in the field position game, averaging 48.7 yards per punt while pinning the Jaguars inside the 20-yard line twice. His best punt of the game came while getting bumped, with Loucheiz Purifoy catching the ball at the 1-yard line to pin the Jaguars deep.
I have yet to give the special teams a bad grade this season, but that's only because they haven't given me a reason to.
Grade: A+
Coaching
9 of 10
The coaching staff deserves credit for making adjustments at halftime. It looked like the Colts could have been in for a major upset after the first two quarters, but the entire team seemed to calm down and turn things around.
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky had a good game plan against the Jaguars, and it paid off. Disguised blitzes and stunts make things a lot harder on the Jaguars offensive line, holding Jacksonville to just three points just 194 total yards.
On offense, Pep Hamilton had some strange play calls, including deciding to run Richardson twice in a row to start a drive, forcing the Colts to throw on 3rd-and-long and then punt the ball away. Another miscue came on a fake-reverse pitch to Herron, who then proceeded to fumble in traffic. The offense got going eventually, but some of the play calls were questionable.
The Colts should have been ready to play a weaker opponent, but at least they were still able to get a solid win after the offense heated up in the second half.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A- |
| RB | B |
| WR | B+ |
| OL | D+ |
| DL | A |
| LB | A |
| Secondary | A |
| Special Teams | A+ |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
Have the Colts proven that they're an elite AFC team? Probably not, especially after struggling against a 1-9 team in the first half. However, their defense completely turned things around after being embarrassed last week, and although a lot of that is because of the difference in talent of the two teams, it was a very strong overall performance.
There will still be questions defensively, but the bigger concern at the moment is the offensive line, which has seemed to be getting worse and worse each week. Reitz proved that he's more of a guard than offensive tackle, but he wasn't the only one to struggle against the Jaguars.
As long as Luck is under center, the Colts will have a chance to win regardless of whom they're playing, but there is definitely a lot of room for improvement before this team can be considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
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