The Jaguars visited the Colts in this NFC South division matchup, where Indianapolis was expected to have little problem with the 1-9 Jaguars. The first half was a very sloppy affair, with several turnovers and sacks by both teams; in fact, the Colts fumbled six times overall, including four by Andrew Luck.
Jacksonville was able to stay close thanks mainly to their defensive line, which harassed Luck the entire first half, and trailed just 6-3 at halftime. The Colts started flexing their muscles soon after, however, and eventually overwhelmed Jacksonville with a 23-3 victory. The Jaguars were never really able to get going offensively, managing only 194 total yards, while the Colts were able to hit a few big plays, including a 73-yard Luck-to-Hilton touchdown pass.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Performances of Note
Telvin Smith, LB: +1.9
Breakdown: Smith continued his terrific recent work, having come into this game at +9.3 over his last four outings. He was flying around the field again on Sunday and managed nine defensive stops among his 10 total tackles.
Signature Play: Q2, 1:56 remaining. Smith closes quickly on the Colts' Dan Herron during a screen pass and tackles him for minimal gain.
Chris Clemons, DE: +2.8
Breakdown: Since coming over to the Jaguars from the defending champs, Clemons has rarely shown the outside pass rush that made him so feared in Seattle. Sunday however he finally showed his old form and was a one man wrecking crew off the edge against the Colts. He managed three sacks on Luck in the first quarter alone and added three more quarterback pressures over the course of the game.
Signature Play: Q1, 2:24 remaining. With Luck stepping up in the pocket, Clemons is able to get around the left tackle for a strip-sack, setting up the Jags in excellent field position.
Blake Bortles, QB: -4.7
Breakdown: As has been the story all season long, this was another poor performance from Bortles. He finished the game just 15-of-27 for 146 yards with an interception. He really struggled as soon as the pocket started to break down, and on his 10 drop-backs under pressure, he was 0-for-6 with four sacks and an interception.
Signature Stat: 21 of his 24 aimed passes were thrown 9 yards or shorter.
Indianapolis Colts – Performances of Note
Montori Hughes, NT: +3.4
Breakdown: Hughes, who has been quiet all season, played by far his best game, making the most of his limited playing time. In just 13 snaps against the Jags, he had a QB pressure, a batted pass and a defensive stop.
Signature Play: Q4, 10:20 remaining. Hughes splits a double team from the left guard and center and forces Bortles into a quick throw.
D'Qwell Jackson, LB: +3.8
Breakdown: Jackson responded to his worst game of the year last week against the Patriots with his best performance of the season. He was especially strong in the run game, grading out at +4.5 overall, managing eight tackles and five stops on defense, including a sack.
Signature Stat: Jackson ranks 13th out of 57 inside linebackers with a Run Stop Percentage of 10.7%.
Josh Cribbs, KR: +2.3
Breakdown: The newly signed Cribbs was brought in by the Colts to take over for recently released Griff Whalen and hopefully spark their return game, and Cribbs did not disappoint in his debut. He opened the game with a 46-yard kickoff return, and averaged 9.6 yards on punt returns, even after having an 82-yard touchdown called back.
Signature Play: Q3, 4:42 remaining. Although he initially muffed the punt, Cribbs was able to recover quickly, burst to his right and weave his way down the sideline for a score, only to have it negated by a block out-of-bounds.
PFF Game Ball
In an otherwise disappointing season, D'Qwell Jackson stepped it up against Jacksonville and gets our game ball for his performance.
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