Skip to main content
Learn more about the White Out game this Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Tennessee Titans
Advertising

Colts/Jaguars Notebook: Pass Rush And Unselfish Offense Highlights Road Victory

Intro: In all three phases on Sunday afternoon, the Colts were nearly flawless. What stood out in the Colts 44-17 victory over the Jaguars?

walden-erik-01.jpg
2012-carey-250x250.jpg

INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts could not have scripted much more of a complete victory in Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon.

In earning their first win of 2014, the Colts got contributions from every single unit in moving to 1-2 on the season.

Here's a notebook run down of the Colts defeating the Jaguars, 44-17.

Pass Rush Has Coming Out Party

Greg Manusky's plea of creating a pass rush "somehow, someway" late last week happened at every level of the defense on Sunday.

Sacks came from defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles, outside linebacker Erik Walden, inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson and safety LaRon Landry.

"It was outstanding," Chuck Pagano said of the Colts pass rush.

"We generated some pressure not only with the four-man rush, but also blitz packages. Greg Manusky and the defensive guys did a great job. Our players did a great job of getting to the quarterback. It's been an area we have talked an a lot about and guys went out and performed today and got some numbers. "

The Colts had another seven hurries of the Jaguars quarterbacks and staying ahead of schedule was a key ingredient of the pass rush pressure on Sunday.

Jacksonville came into its Week Three meeting with the Colts having allowed 13 sacks in two weeks.

On the other side, the Colts had only generated one sack in playing two of the NFL's better teams at protecting the quarterback.

Whether it was the blitzing of guys like Landry and inside linebacker Josh McNary or the Colts just relying on their front to get into the Jaguars backfield, the Indianapolis' pass rush snapped out of an early funk.

"We just wanted to be disruptive," Walden, who had a sack and two hurries on Sunday, said after the game.

"We talked about it all week and wanted to make an emphasis, put it out there that we can get to the quarterback and cause problems. We were confident all week and definitely had a nasty taste in our mouths after starting 0-2. Like Coach says, it's all about the circumstances and how you reveal yourself with character. We were able to come back strong today and get a win."

A Little Bit Of Everything For The Colts Offense

When fantasy inquiries come up surrounding the Colts offense, many pundits tell fans to stray away from the Indy skill positions.

This isn't a reflection of a lack of offensive production but rather a compliment on the amount of weapons the Colts have and who's in charge of distributing those touches.

Sunday was a perfect example of this, with Andrew Luck connecting with nine different receivers (none of which had more than five catches and only one finished with more than 62 yards receiving).

"I think it was a matter of taking what they gave you," Chuck Pagano said after the game.

"There will be times where they will devise schemes to take away certain guys, but that will open that up to everyone else. As long as it happens, I am good with that. We have a bunch of playmakers out there and ton of weapons. It's a matter of the quarterback making great decisions and getting it to a lot of guys."

Luck did just that in finding all nine of those pass catchers (four receivers, three tight ends and two running backs) at least two times each.

Some of the more intriguing target notes came with rookie Donte Moncrief catching four passes for 55 yards (both career highs).

Also, tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen combined for 13 targets, one week after the duo had just a total of two targets.

"Andrew finds the open man," running back Ahmad Bradshaw says.

"Whenever he's flushed out of the pocket, he does a great job of finding the open man. When we're going out every play, he puts us in the right situations and tries to give us some motivation to execute the next play."

Photos from the week 3 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars

Running Backs Continue To Produce

Following up a 169-yard effort from Monday night, the Colts running game chewed up 144 rushing yards in 29 carries on Sunday afternoon.

Ahmad Bradshaw once again led the attack with nine carries for 65 yards.

Trent Richardson wasn't far behind with 14 carries for 57 yards, including a 27-yard run, his longest as a Colt.

The last time the Colts have put together back-to-back rushing performances like we've seen the last two weeks was late last September.

"For an offense to knock off some big runs like that and get some chunks, is huge on the ground," Luck said after the victory.

"It could be demoralizing to their defense and having that tempo, really, really helped today."

A Look At The Colts Snap Counts Against Jacksonville

-The four players that took every offensive snap on Sunday were Gosder Cherilus, Jack Mewhort, Anthony Castonzo and A.Q. Shipley.

-The tight end snaps were divided up with Dwayne Allen playing 57 snaps, Coby Fleener 50 and Jack Doyle 27.

-At running back, Trent Richardson played 38 snaps and Ahmad Bradshaw logged 25.

-Reggie Wayne paced the receivers with 54 snaps. Hakeem Nicks had 36, T.Y. Hilton played 34 and rookie Donte Moncrief saw a career-high 24 snaps.

-Defensively, Vontae Davis was the lone defender to play all 60 snaps.

-In place of Jerrell Freeman, inside linebacker Josh McNary logged 59 snaps.

-Nickel back Darius Butler played 39 snaps.

-With Art Jones not playing on Sunday, the defensive line snaps were as followed: Zach Kerr (37), Cory Redding (32), Ricky Jean Francois (29), Josh Chapman (17), Kelcy Quarles (16) and Montori Hughes (14).

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content

Single Game Tickets On Sale Now!

Single Game Tickets On Sale Now!

Our 2024 schedule is set! Secure your seats to all home games at Lucas Oil Stadium now.

Advertising