The Colts face a tough matchup this week against a Jaguars defense that shut them out in their first meeting this season.
The first matchup did not go well between this two teams in Week 7. The Jaguars sacked Jacoby Brissett 10 times, and handed the Colts their first shutout loss since 1993.
Jacksonville’s defense is scary at all three levels, but the biggest mismatch for the Colts is in the trenches.
The Jaguars’ defensive line boasts two of the top six sack artists in the NFL in Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue.
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Campbell has a great chance to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award, and is one of the best free agent signings in recent NFL history. Ngakoue had a strong rookie campaign with 8 sacks in 2016, but he’s built on that total in 2017 with 10 sacks through the first 11 games.
The Jaguars also have two shutdown cornerbacks that give the pass rush plenty of time to get to the quarterback.
Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye totally shut down the Colts’ receiving corps in Week 7, and it will be a tough task for T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief to get open for Brissett this week.
The run defense had been a weakness for the first half of Jacksonville’s season, but they’ve improved dramatically with the addition of Marcell Dareus in a trade with the Bills.
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The linebacking corps is extremely athletic with Telvin Smith and Myles Jack, and the veteran Paul Posluszny is still playing at a high level.
This Jaguars’ defense may be the league’s best unit, and it will be critical for the Colts’ offense to exploit any mistakes they may make on Sunday afternoon.