Colts Outmatched By Jaguars as Gardner Minshew Tosses 3 Picks
The Indianapolis Colts are getting used to their new normal of not having rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson in the backfield, and it already stung them on Sunday on the very week that he landed on Injured Reserve.
The Colts (3-3) traveled south to EverBank Stadium to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, a location that has been anything but friendly to them over much of the last decade, and the Colts left with their most lopsided loss of the season, a 37-20 drumming.
It was the ninth time in a row that the Colts have lost on the road to the Jaguars (4-2), and this latest hiccup broke a tie between the two teams in the standings, giving Jacksonville sole possession of first place in the AFC South.
Without Richardson, the Colts' offense lacked consistency, and many productive drives quickly hit the wall due to turnovers. The nearly 40 points that Jacksonville scored would indicate that they smacked Indy's defense, but you could make an argument that Gus Bradley's group actually played well enough to win. Here's why...
— Gardner Minshew has been a very positive presence for the Colts this year but his 4 turnovers (3 interceptions, 1 fumble) hurt the Colts critically on Sunday. All three interceptions likely had some element of miscommunication between him and the receiver, but on all three throws the receiver also had little or no chance to make a play. On two of Minshew's interceptions, the Colts were well inside Jacksonville territory; one of them even occurred inside the Jags' end zone. Considering the Jaguars scored 17 points off of the Colts' turnovers and two of those drives ended in likely scoring position, those giveaways played a huge role in this outcome.
— Minshew isn't the most aggressive quarterback in the world but the Colts' passing game was oddly explosive with him, as he racked up a season-high 329 passing yards which included three plays of 40-plus yards. Tight end Kylen Granson (45), wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (40), and running back Jonathan Taylor (40) were on the receiving end of those chunk plays.
— After putting up an impressive 193 yards on the ground last week against one of the NFL's best run defenses, the Colts faltered against Jacksonville. In total, Taylor, Zack Moss, and Minshew combined for just 44 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries (2.6 avg.). That was even less productive than when the Colts had 65 yards against the Jaguars in Week 1. The Colts couldn't get into much of a rhythym with their run game as they were playing with a large deficit for most of the game (down by 25 at one point), but a backfield featuring Taylor and Moss should be more productive.
— Hats off to the Colts defense for the job they did against Jaguars stars Travis Etienne and Calvin Ridley. Etienne did score a pair of touchowns in the first minute of the second quarter but had 83 yards on 21 touches overall for the game and was corralled much better in the second half. Likewise, Ridley torched the Colts for 101 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 but had just 30 yards on 4 catches on Sunday.
— Colts rookie cornerbacks JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones weren't out there on defense for the beatdown Ridley gave the Colts in Week 1 but they were up for the task this week. There were some up and down moments for the pair, including a couple of penalties, but both players stayed competitive against the ball, and Brents even came away with his first-career interception.
Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.
