Getty The Indianapolis Colts suffered an embarrassing 24-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 18.
Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines called for “soul searching” following the blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.
In so many words, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner asked for the same but in a more forceful manner. It sounded as though Buckner called out his teammates while speaking to the media after the 24-point defeat.
“I’m saying from top to bottom, everybody has got to look themselves in the mirror and figure it out,” Buckner said according to WISH-TV sports anchor Charlie Clifford.
Buckner continued, stopping just short of calling Indianapolis’ eighth straight road loss to the Jaguars humiliating.
“S*** was embarrassing,” he said according to The Athletic’s James Boyd. “We got our a** whopped.”
Colts Whopped in the Trenches
It was the opposite of a banner day for the Indianapolis offensive and defensive lines in Jacksonville. The Indianapolis Colts allowed 5 sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits.
It seemed as though quarterback Matt Ryan was hurried and pressured on a majority of his drop backs, and when he did have time, Jaguars defensive linemen batted balls at the line of scrimmage repeatedly. One of those batted balls at the line led to a Ryan interception.
On defense, the Colts held the Jaguars to 2.6 yards per carry. But the run defense was worse than that statistic suggests.
Part of what allowed Indianapolis to erase a 17-point deficit in Week 1 was the defense forcing the Houston Texans into a three-and-out more than once in the fourth quarter. The Colts also recovered a fumble to fuel the opening day comeback.
When down by 17 against Jacksonville in Week 2, the Colts allowed the Jaguars to control the ball for about 12 and a half minutes in the third quarter. On their second possession of the second half, the Jaguars ran a 12-play, 92-yard drive in 7 minutes and 42 seconds which ended in a touchdown. Of those 92 yards, 23 of them came on the ground.
In addition to allowing Jacksonville to main possession, the Colts couldn’t generate any pressure on Trevor Lawrence. The second-year quarterback was comfortable throughout the day, throwing just 5 incompletions. Lawrence finished 25 of 30 for 235 yards with 2 touchdowns, no interceptions and zero sacks.
Indianapolis recorded 2 quarterback hits versus Jacksonville’s 11.
Frank Reich Offers Silver Lining
Heading into the 2022 season, the Colts roster featured 3 returning Pro Bowlers on both offense and defense. It also included a new 4-time Pro Bowl quarterback and former Defensive Player of the Year winner.
Indianapolis is not short on talent. It’s that talent that kept head coach Frank Reich relatively calm in his postgame press conference after the 24-0 loss in Week 2.
“I think I’ve been around long enough to know that as pathetic as that was today, where that is and where we need to be, the distance is not that far,” Reich said during his postgame presser. “It’s not that far because we’ve got the guys, the players, and the coaches to do it.”
Reich also said “it was not a good effort” by the team in Jacksonville, but interestingly, Hines had slightly a different take.
“I don’t think with us it’s [about] effort. It’s about execution,” said Hines.
Whether it’s effort, execution, a combination of both or something else, Buckner is calling for his teammates to help him figure it out, and sooner rather than later. The Colts will host the Kansas City Chiefs in their home opener on September 25.