JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars extended the Colts losing streak in Jacksonville to nine years with a 24-0 victory Sunday in the home opener. The Jaguars now find themselves in first place in the AFC South for the first time since the start of the 2020 season. Here are my four biggest takeaways from the game:
Biggest improvement
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As the old saying goes, young players and teams develop the most between games one and two. If Sunday was any indication, the Jaguars are going to be in good shape moving forward. The Jaguars dominated the Colts, scoring on three of their first four drives and holding Indy without a point. One of the biggest areas the Jaguars needed to improve was for Trevor Lawrence to be more precise. On Sunday, he was that. Utilizing the short passing game, Lawrence completed 25 of 30 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He looked in control and accurate all game long.
Run to win
Last week, the Jaguars’ running backs ran the ball just 15 times. On Sunday, James Robinson and Travis Etienne combined for 32 carries for 84 yards. Earlier in the week, Doug Pederson said he believed in throwing to score and running to win. The Jaguars did both on Sunday. While Lawrence and the defense will receive the bulk of the attention, the running game shouldn’t be overlooked.
Josh Allen’s day
When the Jaguars drafted Travon Walker with the first pick in the draft, part of the hope was that he would take some attention away from Josh Allen and free Allen up to make big plays. He did on Sunday. In the first half, Allen recorded a pair of sacks and pressured Matt Ryan on several other occasions. On a day when it all seemed to work for the Jaguars, Allen was the most impactful player on the defense.
What’s next?
The Jaguars have back-to-back road games coming, including Sunday in Los Angeles against the Chargers. It will be the second time the Jaguars have played the Chargers in LA. The Chargers won the previous meeting 39-29 in 2020. If the Jaguars can win this year, they’ll be over .500 after three weeks or more for the first time since they were 3-1 in 2018.