The Jacksonville Jaguars were pummeled by the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday and their playoff chances declined drastically as a result. They also took a small slide down USA TODAY’s power rankings, coming in at the No. 22 spot after previously being ranked No. 20.
22. Jaguars (20): Focus has been on quarterback transition, but what about a defense burned for nearly 60 points and 800 yards over its past two appearances?
Our comrade Nate Davis is right, while Nick Foles’ day was unimpressive outside of the first quarter Sunday, the Jags’ defense gave up an embarrassing total of 264 rushing yards on the day. Colts running back Marlon Mack had a solid day, rushing fo 109 yards and a touchdown before sustaining a hand injury and having to leave the game. To make matters worse, the Colts’ No. 2 tailback, Johnathan Williams, had an even better day, accumulating a career-high of 116 yards on 13 carries.
The Jags’ struggles on defense Sunday weren’t exactly surprising because they’ve been one of the worse teams in football when it comes to stopping the run under Todd Wash in 2019. Previously, they were gashed by the Carolina Panthers and the Houston Texans in London.
As for Foles, he was 33-of-47 for just under 300 yards and a pick in his return. He had some solid moments to open the game but was clearly pressing afterward. He had several moments where he was throwing in double coverage but thankfully the Colts weren’t able to cash in on those opportunities. He’ll need to have a better day Sunday as the Titans have been very opportunistic against the Jags in the past.
