Getty Deforest Buckner Looks to Wreck Jacksonville on Sunday
After a tie in Houston, the Indianapolis Colts head down to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. The Colts have struggled against Jacksonville over the past few seasons. According to Stats Muse, the Colts have won just four of the past 10 games against the Jaguars, including five straight losses in Jacksonville.
How can Indianapolis rebound and make amends for their recent struggles against their AFC South rival? Here are the top three storylines heading into this crucial week two matchup for the Colts.
Receiving Corps Development
This topic has been mentioned time and time again, but it will continue to be discussed until they prove the fanbase wrong. The Indianapolis receiving corps is young and underdeveloped, and their immaturity plagued the Colts last week.
Third-year player Michael Pittman Jr. is the only true receiving threat on the outside and has little to no help surrounding him. Rookie Alec Pierce dropped a touchdown pass and later took a vicious hit over the middle in Week One versus the Texans. Pierce is now in the concussion protocol after developing symptoms following the tie and may miss the Jaguars matchup. That leaves Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin, Dezmon Patmon, and Mike Strachan to pick up the pieces.
Jalen Pitre (5) whew. quarters coverage and everyone to his side breaks outside, so he works back to the MoF for work. hammers Alec Pierce trying to make a catch in traffic
Will Reich be able to trust and scheme open the young guns, or will quarterback Matt Ryan have to rely on running backs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines to be the main playmakers alongside Pittman?
Frank Reich’s Playcalling Improvement
Head Coach Frank Reich has been heavily criticized for his playcalling since his arrival in Indianapolis. In Houston, the Colts worked their way down the field to the Texans’ two-yard line. On fourth and goal, Reich called a wildcat play with Nyheim Hines as the quarterback, only to be stuffed for a two-yard loss. Hindsight is 20/20 but points there would have won Indianapolis the game.
Reich has a heavy burden to scheme these receivers open while also balancing the punch of Taylor in the backfield. The Jaguars will key on the run, forcing Reich’s hand into play-action passes and downfield throws.
Will he trust Ryan and the skill players on the outside to make the plays? Or will he continue to try and outsmart the defense with wildcat formations and other tactics that rarely work?
Special Teams Woes
The Colts released kicker Rodrigo Blankenship following his week one meltdown in the fourth quarter and overtime. Indianapolis then signed Chase McLaughlin and Lucas Havirisk to the practice squad, battling it out for the starting kicker gig. McLaughlin had a four-game stint in Indianapolis, making five of his six field goal attempts. He will likely get the nod on Sunday against the Jaguars and will look to return confidence in the Colts’ special team unit.
The Colts and Jaguars are always involved in intense games, and special teams will need to be on point if Indianapolis is to win. Field position and scoring points whenever possible are crucial. The Colts will be hoping that Matt Haack continues his solid punting duties and McLaughlin is solid in his return to Indianapolis.