Placing The Blame In The Colts Loss

Here are the five players or units that are responsible for the Colts loss

• The defensive line: Freeney and Mathis did not get any pressure on David Garrard all day, which caused the Jaguars to get open looks downfield. The colts could not generate a four man rush today. The front four didn't do much to help stop the run either.
• Brody Eldridge: Eldridge gave Peyton Manning his first interception of the season today. What would seem to be a big touchdown turned into points for the Jaguars. Eldridge was hit just before the goalline by Gerald Alexander, the ball went loose and was intercepted by Anthony Smith.
• The secondary: Antoine Bethea's coverage of Tiquan Underwood was incredibly unacceptable. The other safety, Melvin Bullitt missed a key tackle on David Garrard's long touchdown run. Bullitt also got injured twice. Kelvin Hayden locked Mike Sims-Walker, but he dropped a key interception late in the game. Mike Thomas and Tiquan Underwood torched Jerraud Powers and Justin Tryon all game.
• The linebackers: The Colts linebackers go pushed back on the run, and were not making plays that good run defenses make. Clint Session was back, yet the Colts' run defense did not improve. The Colts linebackers did a solid job in coverage, but they will never be more than average at enforcing the run.
• Reggie Wayne: Wayne's fumble doesn't overshadow the great game he had, but it might have caused the Colts a victory. Wayne was short of the fourth down, and when he stretched to reach for the marker, Anthony Smith jarred the ball loose. Gerald Alexander recovered the ball and returned it to midfield.

Game Balls

Colts: Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Devin Moore

Jaguars: Josh Scobee, Maurice Jones-Drew, Anthony Smith, Gerald Alexander

*Notes*

- Jack Del Rio has to be feeling less heat after today's win. The same goes for David Garrard, who did not make any crucial mistakes. Garrard is still feeling the heat more than Del Rio; If Kelvin Hayden would have intercepted his pass on the last drive, people would be calling for his head in Jacksonville.

- Blair White is taking up a lot of slack in the absence of Pierre Garcon and Anthony Gonzalez. Manning does not target him a lot. But he has been targeted twice in the redzone the past two games. He also made a key third down conversion today.

- I would not be surprised if Gerald Alexander starts at safety, even when Sean Considine returns from injury. Alexander is a hard-hitter, and he put a lot of pressure on the Colts receivers.