The Indianapolis Colts continued their winless drought in Jacksonville against the Jaguars on Sunday. In this contest, it was actually the closest score since their seven-point loss in 2020. However, in this contest, Indy gave up 37 points and allowed Trevor Lawrence to have a career day. The offense made things interested towards the end, but it was not enough to combat the Jaguar’s offensive efficiency. Needless to say, Gus Bradley’s defense was abysmal this week and it was a big factor as to why the Colts came away this week with a loss.
There were three factors that led to this rough performance. However, one of those factors is just misfortune rather than ability or scheme. Throughout his career, Bradley has been a respected defensive coordinator, and if the Colts want to get back to winning, they will need him to be the coach that he once was. There is good reason why the Colts signed him back in 2022.
It should be noted that the woes on defense have not been exposed by this Week 5 matchup. As a matter of fact, the woes on defense have been manifested throughout the season so far. There has been some good, but also a lot of bad. This week, however, all of the bad was completely exposed.
Why Gus Bradley’s Defense Should Be a Concern for the Colts
The Defense is Unable to Stop the Run
The Colts defense is one of the worst in the league against the run. Going into Week 5, the Colts ranked worst in rushes per game with 37.8 and 31st in yards per game with 164.8. On Sunday, Gus Bradley’s defense gave up 126 rushing yards with a 5.5 average per rush. Allowing this much success also allowed the Jaguars to have massive success in the passing game. Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence could utilize play action and find the holes in Bradley’s defense. In turn, Lawrence finished with a career-high 371 yards passing.
If teams struggle to stop the run, it typically will open up the passing game, which makes it near impossible to stop an offense. For the Colts, this was the story on Sunday. The interesting thing is that the Jaguars only converted three third downs on 10 attempts. However, they allowed a 65-yard run for a touchdown, an 85-yard pass for a touchdown, and a one-play, 19-yard touchdown drive.
The Defense is Unable to Put Pressure on the Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence had 34 drop backs on Sunday and was only pressured one time. One of the biggest issues for the defense on Sunday was their inability to get any pressure on the quarterback. Lawrence only had six incompletions on 34 attempts and essentially was able to sit back in the pocket and comfortably survey the field. The Colts, however, were without their veteran cornerback, Kenny Moore II, on Sunday. Therefore, with an already depleted secondary, not putting pressure on the quarterback put more pressure on the secondary. As mentioned, Lawrence had a career high 371 yards passing and finished with a 10.9 passing average.
Injuries Throughout the Defense
The Colts have been no stranger to injuries this season. On Sunday, they had injuries to several key defensive players. As mentioned, Kenny Moore II was inactive, and so was edge rusher Kwity Paye. Earlier in the season, Pro-Bowl tackle, DeForest Buckner has been on injured reserve, Tyquan Lewis was also placed on injured reserve, and Julius Brents is also on injured reserve. Needless to say, the injuries have been piling up for the Colts, and this is just on the defense.
In the NFL, there is always a next-man-up mentality, as injuries always happen throughout the league and on every team. However, for the Colts, it just seems as though their key pieces get injured at the wrong time. The Colts and Gus Bradley still have a long way to go this season, and their key pieces will come back healthy. However, in the meantime, Bradley must get the guys who are healthy ready to play. Throughout this season, it just seems like the playmakers on this unit are ill-prepared and overmatched. If the Colts want to go anywhere this season, it will come down to Gus Bradley’s ability to set his guys up for success.
The Colts have an opportunity to get back on track as they will go up against struggling offenses in the next two weeks. They face the Tennessee Titans and then the Miami Dolphins.
Main Image: Tommy Gilligan – USA Today Sports
