The Colts head to Jacksonville on Sunday carrying more than just a 2-5 record. They’re also carrying a brutal road history against the Jaguars, one that has been hanging around this matchup for nearly a decade.
Indianapolis has not won a game in Jacksonville since 2014, a skid that now sits at 11 straight road losses in the series. The Colts have had chances to break through, but the matchup has tilted heavily the other way. Overall, they’ve managed just one win in their last six meetings with the Jaguars and only two in the last nine.
That’s the backdrop for a meeting that gives the Colts a break from their own internal chaos, but not an easy one. Jacksonville enters at 4-2, and one of the biggest storylines on that side is Travis Hunter beginning to look like the real thing.
Jake Arthur asked whether the Hunter experience is finally coming into focus, and Scott Salomon said the rookie is already trending toward elite status at cornerback. Offensively, though, the picture is still developing.
Hunter finally flashed in Week 6 with a 4-59-1 line, but he was still used sparingly at receiver, playing only nine snaps there. In other words, the ceiling is obvious, but the Jaguars still have room to expand what he does on that side of the ball.
If Indianapolis wants to have any shot on Sunday, the ground game has to matter. That means Jonathan Taylor, even against a defense that has been stingy all season.
Salomon called Jacksonville’s run defense terrific, pointing to a unit that allows just 72.2 rushing yards per game. He also noted that the Jaguars have now gone 23 straight games without allowing a 75-yard rusher, with Taylor as the last back to do it. The complication for the Colts is even bigger after Quenton Nelson was traded.
At the same time, Taylor remains the one player who can tilt this game. Salomon made the case that no matter how strong Jacksonville’s front has been, Taylor can still turn a game on its head with one long run. For Indianapolis, that’s the edge that never really goes away.
There was also a reminder that the Jaguars’ offense is getting plenty of attention, but the defense deserves its own spotlight too. Salomon singled out linebacker Foye Oluokun as the heartbeat of that unit, saying he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. The way he plays across the board - tackling, covering, forcing turnovers - is a big part of why the defense works, and Salomon added that he should be a Pro Bowler this season and a household name.
Then there’s Trevor Lawrence, who has changed the conversation around Jacksonville’s quarterback situation. Salomon pushed back on the idea that Lawrence was simply riding a hot streak late last season and was bound to cool off. Instead, he called him a legit MVP candidate this season.
So the Colts are walking into a familiar problem: a road environment they haven’t solved, a Jaguars team with real traction, and a run defense that can make life miserable. But as long as Jonathan Taylor is on the field, Indianapolis has at least one player who can keep Sunday from getting away.
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Shane Steichen Suddenly Faces A Colts Situation He May Not Survive
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The availability report still leaves the roster in a mixed state, though, with Anthony Gould and Justin Walley ruled out because of injuries. Add in the uncertainty around players such as Josh Downs and Jonathan Taylor, who were not played in a week when trade considerations seemed to be part of the backdrop, and the Colts are still navigating a very unusual stretch even with a couple of key names set to return. [Read more 🡒]