Jaguars-Colts: 5 Observations

What did we see in the Jacksonville Jaguars' win over the Indianapolis Colts?

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, left, and Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen talk before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Unio / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jacksonville Jaguars can breathe a little easier after Week 5.

After a winless first month with three one-score losses, the Jaguars finally found a way to win on Sunday in a 37-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

But what did we see in the Jaguars' win over their bitter AFC South rival? We break it down below.

Doug Pederson continues his dominance over the Colts

The Jaguars have one of the NFL's longest-running winning streaks thanks to a decade of wins against the Colts in Jacksonville. But the Jaguars have another impressive streak involving the Colts: a three-game winning streak against their AFC South rival.

In the Doug Pederson era, the Jaguars are 4-1 against the Colts and, were it not for a Shaquill Griffin blown coverage, would be 5-0.

Since Pederson took over the Jaguars' coaching staff, the Jaguars have found success against the Colts time and time again. Add in a 3-1 record against the Tennessee Titans and some competitive back-and-forth battles against the Houston Texans and Pederson has the Jaguars in a good spot in AFC South battles.

Brian Thomas Jr. is the best rookie receiver in franchise history

Move on over, Allen Hurns. Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. ended Sunday as the No. 6 receiver in the NFL in receiving yards and it looks like he could be a legitimate 1,000-yard receiver as a rookie.

The No. 23 pick has gotten better with each and every game, and the Jaguars are starting to put more on his plate from a target standpoint.

It only took five games, but Thomas is the best rookie receiver in franchise history. He looks like a No. 1 receiver already at this point in his career, and performances like the one he had against the Colts in Week 5 are only testament to the kind of talent he is. The Jaguars have a special player on their hands in the LSU product.

Tank Bigsby gives the Jaguars a tough decision

The Jaguars could soon have a tough decision to make at the running back position. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson made it clear in his post-game press conference that Travis Etienne will continue to be the team's lead back, but it is going to be tough to keep Tank Bigsby on the sideline when he is running like this.

The upside for the Jaguars is that Etienne and Bigsby are so different in terms of skill-sets that they could theoretically co-exist within the Jaguars' offense.

But if Bigsby continues to play the way he has in the last two weeks, then the Jaguars will likely have to make a tough decision at the running back position.

Trevor Lawrence, Travon Walker needed games like this

Two of the most maligned No. 1 picks in the NFL today are quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Travon Walker. Lawrence has caught plenty of flack after a slow start to 2024, while Walker is always going to see himself compared to Aidan Hutchinson.

But after mounting criticism for both, the duo had a pair of their best games.

Lawrence made just one mistake on the day and otherwise had a dominant and efficient game. He hit two major deep shots to Brian Thomas and Christian Kirks and then led the Jaguars on a scoring drive at the end of the game.

As for Walker, he had the first three-sack game of his career and forced a fumble to set up a first-half field goal.

The defense has serious demons to exorcise

The Jaguars are clearly riding high after their first win of the season. And they should be. They have come close to winning in all but one of their games this season, and Sunday's win was the kind of triumph the Jaguars have needed all year.

With that said, the win against the Colts only made the Jaguars' serious issues on defense look even worse.

Joe Flacco didn't throw an incompletion until his 10th attempt of the day, and it only took him five plays to erase a 14-point lead with five minutes left in the game. The Jaguars' secondary has gotten lit up in each of the last three games, and Tyson Campbell's return might not even be enough to save the unit.

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