Jaguars' home winning streak against the Colts has included blowouts, defensive struggles
The Jaguars have the Indianapolis Colts right where they want them: in TIAA Bank Field on Sunday, where the Colts haven't won since 2014.
The keys to the Jaguars' seven-game home winning streak over the Colts (counting the 2016 game in London, designated as a Jags home game) follow the same road map to winning most NFL games: good quarterback play and forcing turnovers, sprinkled with solid special-teams.
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The Jags have been so good at both at TIAA Bank Field when the Colts come to town that a natural inclination might be to wonder where all those big plays are at other times.
"We just execute at home against them," said safety Andrew Wingard, who has been on the team for the last three victories at the Bank against Indianapolis.
But why not on the road?
"One of those streaks you can't really explain," he said.
When the Jags play host to the Colts to open the 2022 home schedule (1 p.m., CBS), they will be trying to extend perhaps the most inexplicable streak for both teams. Since a 51-16 rout in 2015 that set the franchise record for points in a regular-season game, the Jaguars have won more than half of their AFC South games (they’re 13-29 over that span) at home or in London against the Colts, winning by an average score of 30-15.
Beating the Colts has also been the highlight of the last three seasons filled with lowlights. The Jags closed otherwise dismal years by beating the Colts at home in the final game, 38-20 in 2019 and 26-11 last season.
In between, the Jags opened the 2020 season with a 27-20 victory over Indy — and didn’t win another game.
Jags ruin Colts' playoff hopes
The Jags also have been the spoiler for the Colts several times.
The 2015 rout, in which they scored 42 points in the second half to erase a 13-9 halftime deficit, sent the Colts on their way to an 8-8 record, one game behind Houston’s 9-7.
The following year, the Jags won 30-27 in London on the first week of October. Indianapolis went on to finish 8-8 and one game behind division winner Houston again.
And last season, the Colts needed only to beat a Jaguars team on an eight-game losing streak to make the playoffs. Trevor Lawrence turned in the best game of his rookie season in a 26-11 victory.
In the last two seasons and three of the last four, beating the Colts at home was the Jaguars’ only division victory.
Here’s what makes it more baffling: the Colts are 6-2-1 at Houston and 5-2 at Tennessee over the same span.
Lawrence said each game has its own storyline and doesn't necessarily depend on what happens in the past — especially with coaching and personnel changes made on both teams.
"This is a different team, they’re a different team, different defensive coordinator, all those things," he said Wednesday. "We got a new head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, everything. You really just have to start over for every week, no matter who you’re playing."
Reich unsure of the reason
Frank Reich, who has been the Colts' coach since 2018, said there's no easy answer for the Jags' domination at home over the last seven years.
“Sometimes you get these things in sports like this that you just can’t explain it," he said. "The explanation is that every time we’ve played down there [since 2015], they’ve outplayed us and outcoached us."
Jaguars guard Tyler Shatley, who has been on the team, said there's not much more that needs to be said.
"I think that's a great explanation," he said of Reich's comment. "I didn't even know it was a thing until after last year's game. I can't tell you what's going on. Maybe don't think about it, right?"
Reich said there's enough motivation for playing a divisional game on the road under any circumstances, and he doesn't need to remind his team of those kinds of stakes.
"We talked about that early in the week," he said. "We understand there’s enough riding on this game. It’s a road division game for us. It’s important. Maybe for a couple guys, there’s a little extra motivation, but I think the general sentiment of our team is, ‘Hey, we have important goals that we want to reach this year.’ This game is very important to both teams, so certainly we’ll give all our attention each day to get ready to play.”
"We talked about that early in the week but there's enough riding on this game," he said. "Maybe for a couple of guys [there will be more motivation] but it's a road division game and it's very important to both teams. We will give it all our attention."
Pederson also unconcerned with past
Coach Doug Pederson said he's not dwelling on whether the Jags can continue their home hex over the Colts, or whether they will use last year's game as motivation.
"We just want to be 1-0 this week," he said on Wednesday. "I don't worry about the past. That's why they call it history."
The Jaguars have had other winning streaks in the past. They beat Baltimore the first eight times they played from 1996-1999 when they were divisional rivals, beat Cleveland the first six times they met from 1995-2000 and beat Cincinnati nine of 10 games between 1998-2005.
But the longest home divisional winning streak is four games against Houston and three against Tennessee.
Their home record against the Colts over the last seven years is unlike anything else in team history and also has come at a stretch when the Jaguars have struggled (except for 2017) and the Colts have been in playoff contention or made the playoffs every year except 2017, when Andrew Luck missed the entire season with an injury.
The Jaguars are 33-70 in the last seven seasons (.320) and the Colts are 57-56 (.553), five seasons of .500 or better.
Big plays in all three phases
What’s been the formula?
• Stellar games from the quarterbacks: In the seven home victories over the Colts, Jaguars quarterbacks Blake Bortles, Cody Kessler, Gardner Minshew and Trevor Lawrence have combined to throw for 1,551 yards, 15 touchdowns and only one interception. Their completion percentage is .695 and their passer rating is 111.84.
• Big plays on defense: The Jaguars have forced two turnovers in six of the seven home victories against the Colts and one in the other, and have 26 sacks, six last year, six in the 2016 game and four in 2017.
Calais Campbell returned a fumble for a touchdown in 2019 and Andre Branch did the same in 2015.
• Special teams have played a crucial part. Rashad Greene took a punt 73 yards for a score in 2015 and three kickers, Jason Myers (4 of 4), Josh Lambo (10 of 10) and Michael Wright (4 of 4) never missed a field-goal attempt at home against the Colts.
In the last two years, the Jaguars have also throttled Colts running back Jonathan Taylor at home. He's averaged 184 yards in two games against the Jags defense at Lucas Oil Stadium but 49 yards per game at TIAA Bank Field.
"They're a good team and Jonathan Taylor is one of the elite backs in the league," said defensive tackle Dawuane Smoot. "But seven years in a row? Maybe there's a curse. Or something in the water."
HOME SWEET HOME VS. COLTS
The Jaguars' current seven-game home winning streak against the Indianapolis Colts
Jaguars 26, Colts 11, Jan. 9, 2022
Trevor Lawrence threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns and Josh Allen had two sacks as the Jags throttled a Colts team that appeared playoff-bound.
Lawrence started the signature offensive play of the season when he leapt to pull down a high snap, raced to his right and threw to Marvin Jones in the back of the end zone. Jones extended fully to snare the pass, keeping both feet barely in bounds.
Jaguars 27, Colts 20, Sept. 13, 2020
Gardner Minshew completed 19 of 20 passes for 173 yards and used 10 receivers, and rookie running back James Robinson had 62 yards and a 28-yard pass reception as the Jaguars started the COVID season with a victory in front of a stadium only 25 percent filled.
Cornerback CJ Henderson broke up three passes and interception one, and had five solo tackles. The Jags scored the last 10 points on Minshew’s 22-yard TD pass to Keelan Cole and Josh Lambo’s 46-yard field goal.
Jaguars 38, Colts 20, Dec. 29, 2019
Minshew Mania may have reached its peak when he threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns in ending the season on a high note.
The Jags scored the game’s last 25 points after trailing 20-13, beginning with a 56-yard Lambo field goal to end the first half. Dede Westbrook caught seven passes for 72 yards, Campbell had his fumble return for a score, from 8 yards out, and the Jags sacked Jacoby Brissett three times.
Jaguars 6, Colts 0, Dec. 2, 2018
This game might have been the strangest outcome of the current streak. The Jaguars took a seven-game losing streak into the game and the Colts had won five in a row as Andrew Luck was on his way to a Pro Bowl season and the NFL’s comeback player of the year.
But Luck was shut out for the only time in his NFL career. He was sacked three times and Myles Jack had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery, Telvin Smith had 12 tackles and D.J. Hayden contributed an interception.
Lambo kicked two field goals and Kessler, while not spectacular, completed 18 of 24 passes for 150 yards and no interceptions. The defense held the Colts to 41 yards on the ground.
Jaguars 30, Colts 10, Dec. 3, 2017
Blake Bortles threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns and Campbell had a sack and three quarterback hits as the Jaguars won their fifth game in six, and would go on to make it seven out of eight to clinch the division.
Lambo kicked three field goals and Bortles hit Marquis Lee and Cole with touchdowns. Campbell set the single-season franchise sack record with 12.5 and went on to get 14.5.
Jaguars 30, Colts 27, Oct. 2, 2016
The Jaguars led 23-6 at one point, with Jason Myers kicking three field goals, and barely held on as the Colts scored 21 points in the fourth quarter in London.
Bortles hit Allen Hurns with a 42-yard touchdown pass with 5:03 left to clinch the game and threw for 207 yards and one other score. Yannick Ngakoue had four solo tackles, a sack an interception and forced a fumble.
Jaguars 51, Colts 16, Dec. 12, 2015
When the Colts led by four at halftime, no one expected the onslaught to come: 21 points in each of the last two periods.
Bortles began the rally when he connected with Hurns for an 80-yard score to open the second half. Greene then broke off his punt return for a score, Bortles threw short TD passes to Allen Robinson and Julius Thomas and he added a 1-yard TD run.
Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars struggle to explain the team's dominance of the Colts at home
