The battle for the cellar in the AFC South between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts lived up to the hype, or lack thereof. Only two plays went for over 20 yards as both teams struggled to move the ball consistently. As I heard one fan say, the NFL has the Red Zone Channel which shows all the touchdowns and great plays, and this Jaguars-Colts matchup provides the opposite of everything the Red Zone Channel stands for.
The offensive ineptitude started immediately as starting quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Curtis Painter traded interceptions within the first 63 seconds of the game. After the teams went into the half tied at 3-3, the Jaguars pulled out a 16-play, 81-yard drive that led to their first touchdown of the game. The 10-3 lead proved insurmountable for the Colts who turned the ball over two more times in the fourth quarter, further cementing their “on the clock” status for April’s draft.
Three Performances of Note – Jacksonville Jaguars
Rising Stars on the Defense
Just days after praising them in my article, Stories of the Season: Defensive Turnarounds, defensive end Jeremy Mincey (+3.6) and cornerback Derek Cox (+2.9) helped carry the Jaguars' defense to another great performance. I spoke of Mincey’s emergence as a three-down defensive end and he played all 62 snaps on Sunday contributing two Sacks and four Pressures. Playing both right end in base sets and left end in nickel and dime situations, Mincey created problems for both left tackle Anthony Castonzo and right tackle Jeff Linkenbach. Mincey bull rushed Linkenbach right into Curtis Painter for a sack with 8:07 to go in the first quarter, and then beat Castonzo off the edge with a speed rush and forced a fumble on backup QB Dan Orlovsky to effectively seal the game in the fourth. Even when he didn’t get to the QB, Mincey was setting up his teammates as his fourth quarter pressure at the 2:58 mark forced Orlovsky to step right into the waiting arms of defensive tackle Nate Collins and safety Dawan Landry.
Cox has really come on strong in his third season in the league. On Sunday, he allowed only two of six passes to be completed his way. His athleticism was on display with 13:48 to go in the fourth quarter as he played tight coverage on Pierre Garcon’s comeback route. His diving interception attempt was just out of reach, but Cox showed great closing speed to even get into position to make a play on the ball. With another productive game under his belt, Cox is only allowing 35% completions on the season. The Jaguars are getting great production out of their free agent pickups, but the emergence of two homegrown talents like Mincey and Cox has also gone a long way toward improving their defense.
Doing the Dirty Work
In the pass-happy NFL, it’s rare that we get to appreciate good fullback play, but this week I’ll give Greg Jones (+2.4) his due. In recent years, he has been one of the best of the dying breed that is the run-blocking fullback and on Sunday, he lived up to his reputation grading positively on six of seven blocks. His best work came with 11:29 to go in the third quarter. Jones manhandled DE Jerry Hughes and followed it up by moving LB Phillip Wheeler out of the hole on the next play. Both blocks helped set the tone for the Jaguars’ game-changing third quarter drive. After rating as our second best tight end in 2010, Marcedes Lewis has had a very difficult season. He still did little in the passing game, but Sunday marked a return to run blocking dominance for Lewis as his +2.5 Run Block grade will attest. In the first quarter with 11:15 to go, Lewis wiped DE Jamaal Anderson completely out of the play, but my favorite play took place with 2:41 to go in the third quarter. Lewis did a nice job of sealing DE Robert Mathis to the inside, and came off the block just in time to pancake the MLB, Pat Angerer. With the Jaguars relying so heavily on the run, the work of unsung heroes, Jones and Lewis, should not go unnoticed.
Say His Name Five Times Fast
The Colts have not had formidable defensive tackles in years, but RG Uche Nwaneri never was able to take advantage of their undersized front in past meetings; until Sunday’s game. Dominant in the run game, Nwaneri logged positive blocks against all four DTs in the Indianapolis rotation on his way to a +4.5 grade on the day. With the Jaguars looking to run out the clock at the end of the first half, Nwaneri’s key blocks had the Jaguars unexpectedly headed into field goal range. At the 1:44 mark, he made a great block on Anderson before climbing to the second level to take out Angerer. On the next play, Nwaneri pulled and destroyed LB Ernie Sims in the hole to help spring a 13-yard run. For good measure, Nwaneri had a perfect day in pass protection and was easily the best offensive lineman on the field.
Three Performances of Note – Indianapolis Colts
Worst Day as a Pro
Many scouts and executives pegged left tackle Anthony Castonzo (-4.6) as the best pure pass-blocking offensive tackle in the 2011 Draft and he had been solid in that department until this game. I already mentioned Mincey’s strip sack, but Castonzo is going to have nightmares about John Chick’s pass rushing arsenal. Chick is already known for his explosiveness off the edge, but on the third play of the game, he bull-rushed Castonzo, forcing Painter’s first interception. With the speed and bull rush fresh on his mind, Castonzo was beaten badly by Chick’s spin move two more times during the game. Throw in a false start penalty and this was Castonzo’s worst game of his young career.
He Won’t Be Starting Here Next Year Anyway
Early in the season, there was talk that “lame duck” starter Curtis Painter (-2.9) may have a chance to develop into a serviceable starting quarterback and possibly even provide trade bait once Peyton Manning returns. After two stinkers the last couple weeks, that talk has died down. Painter is now second-to-last in the PFF QB Rating and Accuracy Percentage on the season, with only Gabbert worse in both categories. Trailing by seven with 14:42 to go in the fourth quarter, the Colts' drive was nearly stalled by a Painter interception. His attempt down the left sideline was terribly underthrown and intercepted by CB William Middleton. Luckily for the Colts, the Jaguars had 12 men on the field and the play was overturned. Unfortunately, Painter threw an errant ball into coverage two plays later and LB Paul Posluszny made a diving interception that actually counted. Those two terrible passes led to Painter being benched for Dan Orlovsky (again) and now questions are being raised about how long Painter will remain the starter in Indianapolis.
Angerer Bounces Back
Coming off his worst game of the season, Pat Angerer (+2.0) bounced back well. His game against the Falcons two weeks ago was marred by missed tackles and general poor play. He played better on Sunday, starting strong by knocking away a third down pass intended for Marcedes Lewis. In the running game, he held his own against the Jaguars’ guards with his best play coming on a toss play to running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Angerer beat Nwaneri to the edge and made the tackle on Jones-Drew for a 1-yard loss. As I mentioned in the Three to Focus On article for this game, Angerer is receiving attention for the gaudy tackle numbers NFL scorers have given, but it’s games like this where he can beat guards and fullbacks which goes a lot further for his development as a player.
Game Notes
– Blaine Gabbert did not attempt a pass beyond 20 yards, while Curtis Painter’s only attempt fell incomplete.
– The Colts had nine different defensive linemen log at least 14 snaps.
– The Jaguars used a zone blitz four times in the game. The results: sack, 1-yard completion, interception, sack.
PFF Game Ball
Often the reason the Jaguars can make a close game of it against the Colts, Maurice Jones-Drew was the reason they could walk away with the W this time.
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