It is a classic divisional clash with a bit of a European (oh wait, not any more) twist, as the Colts take on the 0-3 Jaguars. With a win the Colts could climb back to .500 and gain some traction within their division as they continue they slog their way along as playoff hopefuls. Sunday’s match up will be a good thermometer to see where the Colts belong in the AFC South.
Shaky O-Line
While the offensive line has been playing well this season, they are down some key components due to injury. There is not a sure bet as to who plays along the right side of the o-line come Sunday. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano listed some of the possibilities we will see with nothing definite in place. “Austin Blythe has position flex so he can play guard, he can play center. Joe Haeg has position flexibility there so we’ll see how things shake out over the next 48-72 hours and see who becomes available. I’m thinking one of those guys might be able to go. If not, we’ve got plenty. We’ve got Le’Raven Clark sitting there who’s a big, athletic, strong guy that can help in there as well.” Pagano didn’t appear too concerned with the offensive line depth but this group will need to prove themselves to keep Andrew Luck upright.
There is plenty of adversity that is not just related to player health. Traveling to the UK will be a first for the Colts. That is not the case for all the Colts current players however and Chuck Pagano has been taking advantage of their knowledge. “Our team has not traveled this far to go play in a game and things like that. Again, we’ve got a bunch of great resources in the building who have been phenomenal with communicating with our players about what to expect. Everybody in the operations department, training room, weight room, the coaching staff that have been through it have done a great job.” The time table, not just the time change (London is five hours ahead) will have its effect on the team. With the game being played even earlier than a typical Sunday game, it will be interesting to watch who is better prepared to take on all these factors. “Playing a division game on the road and all this stuff, they shouldn’t need any extra motivation but it’s always a great challenge to go against great, great players like these guys. Again, they’ll rise up and they’ll make their share of plays.” Says Pagano.
Secondary Gaining Strength
After getting several defensive starters back last week, the Colts defensive unit will need to roll the momentum from their strong performance against the Chargers against some of the more talented young receivers, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. When it comes to stopping the Allen brothers receiving threat, Chuck Pagano says it starts with pressuring Blake Bortles. “We’ve got to make sure that the quarterback is not comfortable and that we play tight coverage and mix things up back there and try to give guys help when they need help as far as the corners go. Again, they’re both excellent players.” Robinson and Hurns are not the only ones who can challenge the Colts according to Pagano “Marqise Lee is no slouch and Rashad Greene (Sr.). They’ve got a number of guys plus the tight ends that can hurt you so we’ve got our hands full with that crew.” The Colts pressuring opposing quarterbacks is not something we’ve seen much of in the first two games and only just started to see a glimmer of hope against the Chargers. But what we did see was game changing. Has anyone seen Robert Mathis this year? He has been awfully quiet so far. Almost non-existent from what I’ve seen. Him returning to any version of his previous self would go a long way for this defense. The secondary is looking better stocked, now if we can get some pressure.
Last season the Jaguars embarrassed the Colts on their way to a 51-16 victory. I don’t expect that to be the case this year and neither does Pagano “You just go back and watch all the tape from the previous matchups. Those guys have had success. Their guys asked me about those guys and the big plays that they’ve had in the past and their production hasn’t been the same to this point. We’re not going to fall into that trap” even with the Jag’s hurting for a win worse than the Colts are, the Colts have to “be prepared to win any type of football game.” according to Pagano. Or as Robert Mathis puts it “Really it’s about us and what we do and how we approach the game. Their hunger is really not my concern, we just have to be hungrier on Sunday.”
Chuck Pagano appears to be game planning as he normally does “We just have to make sure we make one more than they make and end up with one more point then they have at the end of the day.” As exciting as a close finish always is when Andrew Luck is running the two-minute drill, I would really like to see the Colts not give the Jag’s a chance in this contest. Pip-pip and go Colts!
Did you read last week’s Eyes in the Backfield piece? It is especially colorful this week. Not only is there a Ghost of Mr. Chicken reference, but it also talks about decapitation! So make sure you look that over as it also gives some good thoughts on Andrew Luck and his struggles.
As of this writing the Colts have a free spot on their 53-man roster. Since they are on their way to London and I haven’t seen anything about a signing, there will probably be some news to that effect coming out soon.
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