What We Learned: Colts vs. Jaguars

After a horrendous performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts now find themselves 0-1-1 to start their 2022 season.

Here’s what stood out most from the Colts’ Week 2 performance against the Jaguars:

• Colts’ offense struggles to find consistent rhythm:

It was a rough afternoon for Indianapolis’ offense, as they struggled to move the ball all afternoon long. The only promising drive the Colts had come on their first possession, but quarterback Matt Ryan’s untimely interception gave Jacksonville decent field position and took away any chance at a potential field goal attempt.

Coming off a performance in which he rushed for over 150 yards and had a rushing touchdown, running back Jonathan Taylor was kept in check for most of the game (nine rushes for 54 yards), as Jacksonville opted to stack the box and challenge the Colts’ inexperienced receiving corps to beat them, which they couldn’t do.

Several positions on the offensive side of the ball — mainly left tackle and backup wide receiver — haven’t been addressed properly. We saw Sunday how that approach in today’s NFL can hold an offense back from performing like it should, even one with a veteran quarterback at the helm.

• Colts’ secondary/pass rush continues to struggle:

For as many investments as the Colts made on defense this offseason, including defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Indianapolis continues to struggle to create stops and has failed to generate a consistent pass rush.

Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 83.3% of his throws Sunday and tossed two touchdowns along with a career-high 121.5 passer rating. Most of Jacksonville’s success through the air came in quick, underneath throws, which the Colts’ secondary had a hard time defending all afternoon. Couple the secondary struggles with the non-existent pass rush, and you’ve got some real problems defensively.

It’s early in the season, and the Colts’ history would suggest that they may have a shot to climb out of the hole they’ve dug themselves into after yet another slow start this season. It won’t be easy, especially with games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos on the horizon.