The Jacksonville Jaguars got their first win of the season at the expense of the Indianapolis Colts. Here are three takeaways from that contest.
Both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts are off to 1-3 starts after Gus Bradley’s team held on for a 30-27 win over Andrew Luck and company in London, England.
It was the first win of the season for the Jaguars, who snapped a six-game losing streak that dated back to Week 15 of a year ago.
What did we learn about both clubs after their Week 4 tilt? Read on.
1. Jacksonville running game taking form
Only the Minnesota Vikings came into the weekend with a worst running attack than the Jaguars. But the combination of second-year pro T.J. Yeldon (14-71) and free-agent addition Chris Ivory (8-29) combined for exactly 100 yards rushing on 22 carries. Add in 36 yards by quarterback Blake Bortles and the club came up with a season-high 136 yards on the ground.
In their first three contests this season, Jacksonville ran for a not-so-grand total of 165 yards.
2. Colts’ pass protection remains a problem
Talk about an inexperienced front? Yes, young veterans Anthony Castonzo and Jack Mewhort anchored the left side at tackle and guard, respectively. But the rest of this unit featured three 2016 draft choices in center Ryan Kelly (), right guard Joe Haeg () and right tackle Austin Blythe ().
The Colts would run for 94 yards on 25 carries while quarterback Andrew Luck was sacked six times. The fifth-year passer has now been dropped 15 times in four games this season while the ground attack (despite a respectable day by running back Frank Gore) still hasn’t emerged as a consistent entity.
must read: NFL Week 4: Picks and Predictions
3. Blake Bortles can play a complete game
Entering Sunday’s contest with the Colts, the third-year signal-caller had gotten off to a rocky start. Despite throwing for 843 yards and five scores, Bortles had been sacked nine times and also committed all seven of the team’s turnovers on the season.
There were no miscues in London as the young quarterback threw for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns to the Allen Brothers in Robinson (3 yards) and Hurns (42 yards). Bortles was sacked three times but never put the ball on the ground. Meanwhile, he ran for 36 yards and a score on seven carries. The Jaguars have had their fourth-quarter issues but the quarterback did his part on Sunday.