CBS Sports Rips Colts, Gus Bradley's Defense Against Jaguars

The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Jaguars despite scoring a season-high in points.

Oct 6, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) forces Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Devin Duvernay (12) out of bounds in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts (2-3) lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) in week five after scoring 34 points on the road. CBS Sports gave the NFL grades for the pre-Monday Night Football slate of games, ripping into Indy's defensive performance despite notching a B-.

The problem for the Colts, though, is that their defense couldn't stop the big play. The Jags had THREE plays in the game that went for 60 yards or more and when you're giving up that many home runs in the NFL, you're going to lose.

- John Breech | CBS Sports

CBS Sports' John Breech is 100% accurate, giving up so many plays like Gus Bradley's defense did to Trevor Lawrence spells a loss almost every time. While Indianapolis logged an impressive 34 points and Joe Flacco carried Shane Steichen's attack, it wasn't enough to make up for the ineptitude of the defense.

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On the day, Doug Pederson's squad notched 497 total yards (371 passing, 126 rushing). Also, Lawrence set a career-best for passing yards in a single game, proving that Bradley's defensive scheme can be picked apart by the quarterback struggling arguably the most of any passer heading into week five.

Today was Trevor Lawrence's first victory in 10 starts.

He also threw for a career-high 371 yards... on a career-high 10.9 yards per attempt.

— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) October 6, 2024

Indianapolis struggled to handle wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and running back Tank Bigsby the most. The rookie pass-catcher Thomas caught 5 balls for 122 receiving yards (24.4 average) and an 85-yard score. Bigsby ran over the Colts, compiling 13 rushes for 101 yards (7.8 average) and 2 touchdowns. Bigsby also secured his lone target for 28 receiving yards. The rest of Jacksonville's players aren't put into account here, but just these two made up for 251 all-purpose yards and decimated the chances for Indy to level the momentum. It's also fair to mention the defense missed multiple tackles from notables like linebacker E.J. Speed and safety Julian Blackmon, so Bradley isn't entirely to blame.

The Colts have many questions to answer regarding their defense just five games into 2024. They have mounting injuries and can't seem to shake the cobwebs of inconsistencies. Bradley's status as Indianapolis' defensive coordinator is the biggest story to monitor. If the Colts decide to retain the veteran for now, he likely won't have many more chances to shine. Staring at an 0-2 AFC South record, the Colts will try to get their first divisional win against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

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