Colts' Unimpressive Win over Jaguars Exemplifies Poor AFC South

Well that was...something. 

The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-3 on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but it was one of the most uninspiring 20-point victories in recent memory. The Colts scored just six points in the first half, and five fumbles led to an unusually sloppy game flow. 

The Colts needed to come out strong after losing 42-20 to the New England Patriots last week, but instead they opened the game with a whimper. 

On the Colts' first drive, quarterback Andrew Luck was stripped by Chris Clemons. On the next drive, Luck was sacked on third down to force a field goal after starting the drive on the Jaguars' 22. On the next drive, Luck was sacked on third down again but tried to get rid of the ball and fumbled it again. The next drive was a three-and-out. The following drive reached the Jaguars' 7-yard line before Dan Herron fumbled. 

It wasn't until the final drive of the half when the Colts had a successful drive, and that was when the Colts reached the Jacksonville 2-yard line before being forced to kick a field goal. 

To call it messy would be an understatement.

Against a better team, going into the half with just a 6-3 lead would be concerning, especially considering how poorly Luck was playing. Although the offensive line was abysmal in the first quarter, Luck's pocket presence was notably diminished from its usual level. 

But the Colts weren't playing a better team. They were playing the 1-10 Jaguars, quarterbacked by a hapless Blake Bortles. Bortles couldn't get the offense going at all, limited to quick comebacks and dump-offs to running backs for the vast majority of the game. 

The Colts defense got back to its habit of beating up on bad offenses, harassing Bortles on stunts and blitzes while the secondary kept the receivers in check. 

Once Luck and the offense got back on track in the second half, this one was over. 

There were some positives for Indianapolis on the day, namely T.Y. Hilton's four-catch, 122-yard, one-touchdown day after coming directly from the hospital for his daughter's birth. Hilton's "rock-a-bye" touchdown celebration and emotional postgame interview were the best moments from Sunday's game. 

Herron flashed impressive ability for Indianapolis as well, running for 65 yards on just 12 carries (and adding 31 receiving yards) after earning the start over Trent Richardson for the day. Richardson told The Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer that Herron got the start because Richardson wasn't feeling well, but the former third overall pick still split snaps with Herron throughout the contest. Herron showed burst and vision that Richardson has lacked in his time in Indianapolis, and he should continue to get the bulk of rush attempts going forward. 

"

If Toby Gerhart and Trent Richardson had a race, would Cory Redding win?

— Conrad Brunner (@1070Bruno) November 23, 2014"

But despite the positives, and despite the win, it's difficult to build optimism after the way Sunday's game started. 

The Colts had a chance to make a statement, to convince fans and media that last week's blowout to New England was just a blip on the radar, that the Colts still had a shot to go far in the AFC. 

Instead, the Colts just reaffirmed the assumed: The AFC South is terrible. 

The Jaguars were awful on Sunday, with the offense looking listless until the game was already over. The defense flashed at times, but in the end it was the Colts' own silly fumbles that held them back more than a stifling defensive performance. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the division was acting as usual. Tennessee lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 43-24, and the Texans were fed a 22-13 loss by the Cincinnati Bengals.

"

The Colts are now 30-16 under Chuck Pagano (including playoffs). They're 14-2 against the AFC South, 16-14 against everyone else.

— Derek Schultz (@Schultz1260) November 23, 2014"

The beauty of the AFC South is that the Colts don't have to be a contender to comfortably get in the playoffs. There are more gimmies than there would be in any other division, and the Colts benefit greatly from playing teams like Jacksonville and Tennessee every other week. 

Next week won't be much more difficult, as the Colts host the Washington Redskins, who have just as many issues as the Jaguars. Robert Griffin III and the rest of the quarterback situation are a mess, and the Washington secondary is inconsistent at best. 

The Colts could still make a playoff run, but they must set themselves up for as best of a playoff position as possible, and that means winning these games against lesser opponents. They were able to do so against the Jaguars on Sunday, but even against a team like Washington, that kind of effort may not cut it. 

Indianapolis has to figure out a way to put together a cleaner game. That's on the coaching staff, which has looked outmatched in two consecutive weeks. That's acceptable against Bill Belichick but not Gus Bradley and the Jaguars. 

Indianapolis needs to make a statement, and ugly wins against a weak division aren't going to do that.