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Week 16 Game Recap: Indianapolis Colts 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 24
What you need to know
| Indianapolis Colts |
QB Peyton Manning had one of his best games of the season. He didn't make a single mistake all game long, picking the Jacksonville defense apart with pinpoint precision.
TE Dallas Clark was Peyton Manning's favorite target, grabbing a game high eight receptions and tallying 105 yards and a touchdown. He consistently was able to get open and beat the Jaguars in a myriad of ways.
WR Reggie Wayne caught an early 41 yard touchdown in the first half and finished up as the high man in yardage for either side with 108 yards through the air on seven receptions.
| Jacksonville Jaguars |
RB Maurice Jones-Drew earned the start and played very well, though he failed to get into the end zone. More importantly, he was injured on his final touch of the game late in the fourth quarter as Jacksonville was driving for the potential game tying touchdown.
QB David Garrard played almost flawlessly in the first half, but had a somewhat rough second half. He was intercepted once, should have been intercepted on another handful of occasions, and missed a wide open receiver in the end zone for what would have been the game tying score. He was sacked as time expired on the next play.
WR Dennis Northcutt has emerged as David Garrard's go to receiver in the absence of Matt Jones (who is currently serving a suspension). He led the team with eight receptions for 101 yards and added a score as Garrard looked his way in just about every critical situation.
In a non fantasy football related story, Jacksonville OL Richard Collier went out with the team prior to the game for the coin toss. Collier was seriously injured during the preseason when he was shot multiple times, eventually requiring surgery to amputate his left leg. It was an emotional scene on the field as Collier laughed and smiled with players from both squads prior to kickoff.
What you ought to know
| QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 29 - 34 - 364 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 1 - 0 |
It's tough to play any better than Manning did in this game. He opened up by completing his first 17 passes of the game, just five shy of the league record for consecutive completions to open a game (a record shared by Mark Brunell and David Carr). Even his first incomplete pass was a situation where the receiver broke off the route and not necessarily a bad pass by Manning. For much of the first half, the Colts attacked the Jacksonville defense with short passes over the middle. But as is often the case, the Jacksonville deep secondary was softened up just enough for WR Reggie Wayne to streak by them and get open deep. Manning easily found him for a 41 yard scoring strike for the Colts' first touchdown of the game. In addition to the score, Manning made a number of passes within drives that were truly remarkable. He was putting the football into such tight spaces and displayed remarkable awareness in the pocket, moving exactly when he needed to and releasing the football at precisely the correct time. It was vintage Manning all the way, and Jacksonville was almost helpless to try and do anything about it. His second touchdown was a short inside screen to Dominic Rhodes, who did most of the work on the play. The third score was a play-action fake where he found TE Dallas Clark wide open in the back of the end zone. Rhodes had actually appeared to score two plays earlier, but officials ruled him down and Manning's no huddle offense left no time to challenge the play. No word yet on whether Manning is playing against the Dominic Rhodes owner in his fantasy league championship game.
| RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 14 - 27 - 0, Rec: 6 - 62 - 1 (6 targets) |
There was absolutely nowhere for Rhodes to run at any point in this game. The Jaguars completely bottled up the middle of the field, leaving Rhodes to fight for whatever he could find on the outside. Since his strength is not on turning the corner, this didn't work out very well for him. On three different occasions, the Colts attempted to stuff it up the middle on third and short. And on three different occasions, they were turned away. In fairness to Rhodes, Peyton Manning mishandled the snap on one of the runs and the timing of the play was way off. On another play, he was given a handoff up the middle in an attempt to get into the end zone but he was stopped just short. Replays seemed to suggest that Rhodes had gotten the ball over the end zone prior to his knee touching down, but Manning ran a no huddle offense and didn't give his team a chance to review the play. He tossed a touchdown pass to TE Dallas Clark two plays later. Clearly, Manning has himself and Clark on his fantasy team and is playing against the Rhodes owner in his league's championship game.
While he lost out on the potential score there, he did get into the end zone earlier in the game when he took a short inside screen up the middle for a ten yard touchdown capped by a dive into the end zone. He also had a nice 21 yard first quarter run negated by a holding penalty.
| WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 7 - 108 - 1 (8 targets) |
Wayne wasn't thrown to in the first quarter, but that was mostly because the Jaguars controlled the ball nearly the entire time. He made up for lost time in a hurry, as the first ball thrown in Wayne's direction was a 41 yard touchdown bomb from Peyton Manning. Most of his other receptions after that point came on quick slants, out routes, and curls with nothing else downfield. But they were all very effective, as he picked up an additional 67 yards through the air on his other six catches.
| WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 4 - 38 - 0 (6 targets) |
With WR Marvin Harrison out with an injury, many people expected Gonzalez to have a breakout game. He made a few nice catches, but didn't come anywhere close to a breakout performance. Gonzalez showed terrific hands on a diving reception along the sideline on a catch midway through the second quarter, but that was offset by being the target on Peyton Manning's first incomplete pass of the game (he had opened up by completing 17 of 17).
| TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 8 - 105 - 1 (10 targets) |
Despite Reggie Wayne's long touchdown grab, it was clear that Clark was Manning's favorite target in the game by far. He found him on a number of different passes -- across the middle, down the seam, down the sideline, off play-action. If there was a play in the Indianapolis playbook designed for Clark, chances are the Colts used it in this game. On one reception in particular late in the third quarter, Clark streaked past the cornerback down the sideline and made a terrific fingertip grab with his arms fully outstretched. What made the catch particularly remarkable is that Clark was absolutely drilled on the play by the safety coming over the top, yet he never lost possession of the football. He was rewarded later in the fourth quarter with an easy one yard touchdown grab off play action, his sixth score of the year.
| TE Gijon Robinson, Rec: 4 - 51 - 0 (4 targets) |
As was mentioned by NFL Network analyst Cris Collinsworth, with all of the skill position players the Colts feature, it makes sense that Robinson would be the guy you'd leave open. That suited him quite well in this game, as he was able to take advantage of the extra attention being paid to Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark to turn in a nice performance of his own. His long gain on the day went for 23 yards and while he didn't show a ton of speed or ability to make anyone miss, he did appear to have soft hands and good strength to pick up a couple of yards after contact.
| PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points |
Vinatieri inexplicably hooked a 30 yard field goal attempt wide left early on, but made up for that miss with a 45 yard boot that tied the game up late in the fourth quarter.
| IND Rush Defense |
The Colts did a very good job of hitting their gaps and getting to the line of scrimmage, but they had a lot of trouble containing the run once they actually made the hit. RB Maurice Jones-Drew, in his first start of the season, consistently picked up large chunks of yardage after first contact, often dragging three or four defenders along the way. In addition to Jones-Drew, the Colts were unable to stop either David Garrard or Montell Owens on either of their short yardage touchdown runs. At times, the Jaguars seemed to be specifically targeting S Bob Sanders, running right in his direction on the field. It didn't help that he was playing well off the line and often wasn't able to make contact until Jones-Drew was a good four or five yards upfield.
| IND Pass Defense |
Interestingly, on an evening when Peyton Manning played one of his best games of the season, it was the defense that turned the tide in this game. With Indianapolis trailing by three early in the fourth quarter, the Colts came up with a key three and out defensive stop of Jacksonville. That stop eventually led to an Adam Vinatieri field goal to tie the game. On Jacksonville's ensuing possession, Keiwan Ratliff disguised his coverage perfectly to goad David Garrard into making a very bad pass. Ratliff faked like he was going over the middle to cover his man, but instead dropped off to the deeper slant and stepped in front of Reggie Williams for the interception. From there, it was smooth sailing as he received a convoy down the sideline and into the end zone for the game winning score. The Colts had very nearly gotten an earlier pick six courtesy of Tim Jennings, but he dropped a pass that was right in his hands just before halftime. There was nothing but field ahead of him, and it would've been an easy score.
To that point, the Colts had had a lot of trouble containing David Garrard. His final passing stats (68% completion percentage) bear that out. But they made the stops when they needed to the most. On Jacksonville's last gasp drive, Garrard again was driving the Jaguars into scoring range. They got to the Indianapolis seven yard line. After misfiring on his first pass, Garrard was sacked by DE Dwight Freeney and a bevy of Colts defenders soon piled on. With Jacksonville out of timeouts, the clock continued to run and the game ended with the Colts as seven point winners.
| QB David Garrard, Pass: 28 - 41 - 329 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 9 - 1 |
For most of the first half, Garrard matched counterpart Peyton Manning pass for pass. At one point, in fact, his numbers were even better than Manning's. He made a perfect pass to Dennis Northcutt on the first Jacksonville touchdown and made a number of crisp throws the rest of the first half as well (most of those going to Northcutt too). He was also getting the job done with his feet, fighting for extra yardage on a fourth down run on a drive that culminated with another Garrard run -- this one a two yard touchdown up the middle. He wasn't without fault, nearly throwing a costly interception to CB Tim Jennings just before halftime (a play that would have likely resulted in a Colts touchdown as well had Jennings not dropped the football).
The faults grew a lot more costly in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter. He made a bad read on an interception that actually was returned for a touchdown, this one by Keiwan Ratliff midway through the fourth quarter. Garrard thought Ratliff was going to shift to the middle of the field, but at the last moment he dropped straight back into the passing lane on a ball intended for Reggie Williams. He easily picked it off and took it the other way for an easy score. Garrard wasn't finished being careless with the football after that pick, nearly getting intercepted by Antoine Bethea on the ensuing drive. He would have turned it over too, had it not been for a nice play by TE George Wrighster to break it up at the last moment. And on Jacksonville's final possession, Garrard made to inexcusable errors. The first was when he missed a wide open Reggie Williams in the end zone for what would have been the game-tying score. Williams broke loose (and TE Marcedes Lewis was open too) but Garrard's pass sailed way too high for Williams and fell incomplete. And with the Jaguars out of timeouts and just twelve seconds left on the clock, he took a sack on the following play. There was no chance for Jacksonville to regroup and get another play off, and the game abruptly ended.
| RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 20 - 91 - 0, Rec: 7 - 71 - 0 (8 targets) |
Despite not getting into the end zone, Jones-Drew was enjoying a fantastic game with 162 total yards from scrimmage by the end of the game. But he was tackled awkwardly on his final reception of the game and remained on the ground injured. After the game, the injury was being referred to as a sprained knee, so we'll obviously update you throughout the week if/when any more news comes of it. In what could be promising or could be irrelevant, he was still on the field after the game congratulating members of the Colts for their win. As we've seen with the Tom Brady injury, being able to walk doesn't necessarily mean a player escaped major injury -- but it's unquestionably better than being in the locker room or on crutches.
As for his performance on-field prior to the injury, he looked phenomenal. The Jaguars offensive line was giving him some nice blocks early on, but he quickly proved that he didn't really need the blocking. He simply ran through guys. He consistently gave a strong second effort to come away with many more yards than he probably should have had. By the second half, he was just dominating on the ground as the Colts needed four or five players at a time just to slow him down let alone tackle him to the ground. He came close to scoring late in the third quarter, but fumbled the ball at the doorstep of the end zone. There was no reason to challenge the play since Jacksonville recovered the ball, but it did look as if Jones-Drew's arm was down prior to the ball coming loose. In any case, it was his third tough run in a row and he came out of the game in favor of Montell Owens. Owens took the next handoff up the middle and plunged into the end zone for the short touchdown.
| RB Montell Owens, Rush: 1 - 2 - 1 |
Owens had just one offensive touch in the game, but it happened to be a touchdown. Owners of Maurice Jones-Drew might be concerned to check the box score and see that Owens vultured a two yard touchdown from him, but Owens did not suddenly lay claim to the goal line job in Jacksonville. It was simply a case of Jones-Drew rushing three times in a row and getting banged around on the drive. Owens was likely only in to spell him for the one play, and he just happened to score on it.
| WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 8 - 101 - 1 (13 targets) |
With Matt Jones out of the lineup with a suspension, it is clear that Northcutt has become David Garrard's favorite target. He was thrown to a game high thirteen times and responded with his second straight huge game. He made a great grab on the touchdown pass, reaching out and catching the ball with only his fingertips with full extension. Northcutt also displayed decent moves in the open field, consistently picking up yards after contact.
| WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 1 - 22 - 0 (4 targets) |
Williams caught just one pass for 22 yards, but he was involved in two of the most critical plays that led to Jacksonville's loss. He was the target of the interception that went for a Colts touchdown late in the fourth quarter, though there was clearly nothing he could have done on the play to prevent it. He was also targeted on the team's last gasp drive to try and tie the game up. Williams got wide open in the end zone for what should have been the game tying touchdown pass, but QB David Garrard badly overthrew him and the pass sailed well over his head for an incompletion.
| TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (7 targets) |
Inconsistency again plagued Lewis, as he caught six balls for 55 yards but dropped the one pass that would have really gone for big yardage on his second target of the game. It was a perfectly-thrown pass that just went right through his hands. It should be noted, however, that David Garrard never stopped looking to him despite the early drop.
| TE George Wrighster, Rec: 2 - 35 - 0 (3 targets) |
Wrighster caught David Garrard's first pass of the game and then wasn't thrown to again until the fourth quarter. There, he hauled in a 27 yard reception down the sideline. He was again targeted down the seam on a deep ball that was well overthrown. S Antoine Bethea had it sized up for the interception, but Wrighster lunged into him at the last moment to break it up for an incompletion.
| PK Josh Scobee 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points |
Scobee connected on his only field goal try of the game, a 44 yarder just before half time.
| JAX Rush Defense |
Any time a team runs for just 32 yards against a defense, you know that defense did a good job of containing the running game. In this case, the Jaguars strangled the life out of the Indianapolis running game. Everywhere Dominic Rhodes turned, there were Jacksonville defenders waiting for him. There were no holes opening up for him, and on the rare occasion that they did, they closed up extremely quickly. On one short yardage run in particular, Rhodes turned the corner to the outside and appeared headed for a first down. But S Gerald Sensabaugh blew up that idea, flying off the edge and driving Rhodes into the backfield for the stop. Jacksonville had two other critical third and short stops of Rhodes in the second half, which was likely the only reason they were able to stay in the game as long as they did. They also came up with two stops inside the five yard line; the first was a run by Dominic Rhodes that got them to the goal line and the second was a quarterback sneak attempt by Peyton Manning. Of course, they sold out so hard on the run on third down that it enabled Manning to go over the top to TE Dallas Clark for the score.
| JAX Pass Defense |
Despite all the team's success at stopping the run, they never did figure out a way to slow down Peyton Manning and company. The Colts opened up by attacking the Jaguars with a variety of short passes, mostly to the tight ends and running backs. And just when Jacksonville got comfortable with that, Manning struck quickly with a deep ball to Reggie Wayne for a 41 yard touchdown. S Reggie Nelson had cheated up a bit on the play, only to have Wayne go right by him. Manning would go on to complete his first 17 pass attempts of the game, which tells you all you really need to know about Jacksonville's defense. There were times when Jacksonville's defenders got in the vicinity of Manning, but his pocket presence was so off the charts that they never seriously challenged for a sack. And no matter who they focused on in coverage, Manning always seemed to have a way to find the open guy whether it was Wayne, Clark, Gonzalez, or even Gijon Robinson.
Nelson left the game looking a bit dazed after a fourth quarter collision with Indianapolis running back Chad Simpson.