The Indianapolis Colts three starting rookie offensive lineman were soundly beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars pass rush for most of the morning in London.
With injuries to Denzelle Good and Joe Reitz, the Indianapolis Colts were forced to start a pair of rookies: right guard Austin Blythe and right tackle Joe Haeg alongside starting center Ryan Kelly–who’s already a rookie himself.
While Kelly has normally been rock solid and Haeg had held his own prior, the three rookies along the offensive line were roasted all afternoon by the Jacksonville Jaguars front seven.
Specifically, per Pro Football Focus (subscription), the Jaguars pass rushers shredded through the Colts rookies’ pass protection both early and often for 18 total pressures:
"“From early in the game the Jags got after RG Austin Blythe and took apart fellow rookies Ryan Kelly and Joe Haeg to the tune of a combined 18 pressures (one sack, two hits, 15 hurries). Free-agent signing Malik Jackson led the way, racking up five pressures (one hit, four hurries) for the third week in a row, while third-round pick DE Yannick Ngakoue (68.5 pass rush) registered a sack for the third week in a row, also snagging an interception after Jackson got into Colts QB Andrew Luck’s face early in the game for a batted pass.”"
That’s not to say the Colts rookie offensive lineman are bad and can’t improve–having actually shown some poise to start the season, but at the same time, having three rookie offensive lineman in the starting lineup proved to be nothing short of a disaster:
Andrew Luck was sacked a career-high 6 times today against the Jaguars. pic.twitter.com/Qa7NcdZmq6
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 2, 2016
The rookies weren’t necessarily alone either, as starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo also struggled to start the game–allowing uncharacteristic pass pressures from the left side.
Hopefully, either or both of Reitz and Good are healthy enough to play next weekend against the Chicago Bears because the team really can’t afford a repeat performance as it relates to largely a rookie starting offensive line playing poorly in pass protection again.