What do the Colts Need to Catch the Jags in the AFC South?
By Ryan Stano
The Jaguars were the best team in the AFC South this past season. What do the Colts need to do to get back to the top of the division?
This past season was a disappointment for the Colts. They were expecting to have a healthy Andrew Luck back and were supposed to contend for the division crown. They were supposed to get back to the success that fans had accustomed to them having.
But as everyone knows, the season did not end up that way. Luck was gone for the whole season, and the defense was a disaster. Meanwhile, both Tennessee and Jacksonville made the playoffs. Both teams showed vast improvement from last season, especially the Jaguars.
So what do the Colts need to do to show the same sort of improvement? For starters, they need a health Luck. He is the engine that runs the offense. New head coach Frank Reich should be able to help Luck improve assuming he is healthy.
They also need to have improvement along the offensive line. They have done a horrid job protecting Luck over the course of his career. He needs to be upright for the Colts to be at full steam. The line also needs to do a better job opening holes for running backs. A good running game is the best pass protection.
The defense needs to see the biggest improvement of any unit, however. They were near the bottom in almost every single statistical category. The secondary should see a slight increase in performance once Malik Hooker comes back from a torn ACL, but they need to re-sign Rashaan Melvin to have a lockdown corner. New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is in charge of switching the defense to a 4-3, so he has his work cut out for him.
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The thing the Colts need to most is patience. There’s a lot of retooling that needs to occur within the roster. This starts with the number three pick in the upcoming draft. That pick will solidify the Colts’ future.