6 studs and 4 duds in the Jaguars’ 31-21 win vs. Colts
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-0.
It wasn’t the easiest road to a win Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but the Jaguars battled back in the fourth quarter to get a 31-21 victory over their divisional rival Indianapolis Colts.
There’s a long season ahead for a Jaguars team that has Super Bowl aspirations, but there are plenty of things to clean up right now.
Here’s who stood most for the Jaguars in their win, and who will need to perform better if the team hopes to keep things headed in the right direction:
Stud - WR Calvin Ridley
Stud - OLB Josh Allen
Dud - OC Press Taylor
A bit of surprising news broke just a couple hours before the Jaguars’ regular season got started Sunday. Head coach Doug Pederson told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that he was handing the play-calling reins to offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
The win in Indianapolis didn’t inspire a ton of hope that it was the right call.
There was a three-and-out that was comprised entirely of Tank Bigsby runs up the gut, a toss play to Travis Etienne Jr. on third-and-short that ended a drive, and a screen pass to Evan Engram on a fourth-and-1 that resulted in one of the Jaguars’ two turnovers on downs.
Jacksonville managed to score 31 points so it wasn’t exactly a disaster class. But it ultimately felt like the talent of the Jaguars offensive playmakers made up for some odd decisions from Taylor.
Dud - RB Tank Bigsby
A 4-yard gain followed by a 1-yard go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter was enough to turn Bigsby’s nightmarish game into simply an awful one.
The third-round rookie handed Trevor Lawrence his first interception of the season when his drop put the ball right into the hands of the Colts’ Tony Brown.
Then in the third quarter, Bigsby made the worst mistake of the game when he unknowingly recovered a Trevor Lawrence fumble and inattentively stood with it. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin punched it from the running back’s hands and DeForest Buckner picked it up for a touchdown.
Bigsby may have a bright future, but his NFL debut was a day to forget.
Stud - RB Travis Etienne Jr.
Running room was hard to find against the Colts defensive line in Week 1.
While Bigsby, D’Ernest Johnson, and Jamal Agnew combined for seven yards on 10 attempts, Etienne managed to pick up 77 on the day. His 27 receiving yards helped the Jaguars too, and his 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter put the game on ice.
Even as a blocker, Etienne’s effort and hustle was obvious — espeically on a 29-yard reception for Ridley.
Dud - Jaguars offensive line
The offensive line looking like a potential Achilles heel for the 2023 Jaguars wasn’t exactly a shock. Even before Sunday, it stood out as the team’s worst position group.
Jacksonville struggled to get much push in the run game, and Trevor Lawrence was under duress often and sacked twice.
Don’t overreact too much. The Colts’ defensive front — which includes DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Kwity Paye, Shaquille Leonard, and Zaire Franklin — is a top-notch group that ranks amongst the best in the NFL.
Still, the Jaguars offensive line will need to have better days if they hope to get the most out of their loaded skill position groups.
Stud - Jaguars run defense
As tough as it was for the Jaguars to run the ball, it was even harder for the Colts.
While the team didn’t have its top two backs, Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss, there simply wasn’t much space for anyone in the Colts backfield.
Starting Colts running back Deon Jackson finished with 14 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
Stud - CB Tre Herndon III
Herndon has caught a lot of flak over the years, but seemed to settle in late in the 2022 season after he was moved into the slot. He carried that momentum into Week 1 of the 2023 season.
In addition to his work to keep Colts rookie slot receiver Josh Downs in check, Herndon also disrupted a few plays in the backfield as an effective blitzer.
There’s a reason coaches trust Herndon and he showed it Sunday.
Dud - WR Christian Kirk
It may be tough for Kirk to top his 2022 stat line now that Calvin Ridley is the clear No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville. But one reception for nine yards?
Kirk was essentially a non-factor for the Jaguars offense Sunday and that just can’t happen when he’s on season two of a four-year, $72 million deal.
Stud - WR Zay Jones
With Ridley added to the wide receiving corps, a lot of people made a classic mistake: they forgot about Zay.
Jones made it clear Sunday that he’ll continue to be a major part of the Jaguars’ offense, despite its new additions. He caught five passes for 55 yards, including an incredible touchdown grab down the right sideline with zero room to spare.
He also hauled in a 4-yard gain to convert a fourth down and extend a drive that ended with a go-ahead touchdown for Bigsby.
