Tag: Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Jags’ James Robinson discusses his mindset for Week 1, top attributes and going undrafted

Jags undrafted RB James Robinson is set to take the field as a starter against the Colts and begin what could be a great underdog story.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars entered this offseason, many of their fans expected to see running back Leonard Fournette return as a starter in 2020. However, last month the team shockingly waived him, ending his career in Jacksonville before he could even play out his rookie contract.

The move was one that eventually made undrafted rookie James Robinson the Jags’ No. 1 running back for the 2020 season. While some are skeptical about the decision and worried about there being a drop-off, Robinson seemed calm, cool and collected Friday when meeting with the media.

“No, not at all,” Robinson said to the Jacksonville media when asked if he was nervous about Week 1’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. “At the same time, I have ten other guys on the field with me that’s working for the same goal and that’s to win. So, no, I’m not nervous at all.”

While the Jags will have a lot of new faces on the defensive side, there will be a wide array of returning starters on the offensive side, so one could see why Robinson is comfortable with the group around him. Included in that group will be the same starting five offensive linemen from 2019, who the staff is banking on being better due to the lack of changes. For Robinson’s sake, this could be a big plus and could lead to a solid start to his career after an ultra-productive one at Illinois State.

The Jags’ confidence in Robinson has been clear for almost a month now and the same applies to his teammates. In fact, the team’s most experienced running back, Chris Thompson, even went as far as recently saying Robinson has the best vision in the running backs room. Robinson echoed those sentiments Friday when asked about the three best aspects of his game.

“I’d say vision, making the first guy miss and I would say my acceleration through the hole,” he said.

As for his journey into the league, Robinson also discussed how the draft process went for him. After an ultra-productive college career where he garnered 4,444 yards and 44 touchdowns at Illinois State, a solid showing in the Shrine Game, and a good combine, he felt that some team would take him, but ultimately that wasn’t the case.

“Yeah, once I left, I felt like I did pretty well and I would have a good chance of being drafted,” Robinson said about the combine. “Honestly, everyone wants to get drafted, but towards the end, it wasn’t really looking good. So, I was waiting on a team to call and pick me up and the Jaguars did and I’m thankful for that.”

We shared the story of just how the Jags landed Robinson after the draft. In a nutshell, Jags scout Marty Miller was in charge of getting in contact with the undrafted running backs for Doug Marrone and the staff. He was having little luck finding players but his wife, Kerinda, encouraged him to call Robinson who he was certain had been picked up. Sure enough, Robinson was available and ended up signing with the Jags though he said there was interest from the San Francisco 49ers, too.

Now, after a very unique journey, Robinson is about 23 hours from his first start. If he’s successful as the Jags believe he can be, Robinson could be another great underdog story, which is something Jags fans have seen on multiple occasions in recent history.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

Will the Colts-Jags Week 1 game be on TV in your area?

The Colts and Jags will be duking out Week 1 and plenty near Jacksonville and Indianapolis will be able to watch.

The Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 season is almost here as the team will kickoff their campaign at home against the Indianapolis Colts. The game will be one of 10 that will start at 1 P.M. EST on Sunday, Sept. 12.

Per 506 Sports, those in the teal shaded area below will be able to catch the action as the game will be aired on CBS.

This week, there will be some familiar faces calling the game in Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Adam Archuleta (color commentary).

The Jags are largely viewed as underdogs this week, however, one thing they have going in their favor is that they beat the Colts in their last meeting by a score of 38-20, which was the 2019 season finale. In the meeting before that (Week 10), the Colts were able to win handily by a score of 33-13.

Since their last meeting both teams have made some upgrades. In the Jags case, they leaned towards the defense a little more than the offense, landing players like Joe Schobert, C.J. Henderson, and K’Lavon Chaisson in the offseason.

On offense, Gardner Minshew II will have some new weapons at receiver in Laviska Shenault Jr., Collin Johnson, and Tyler Eifert. The Jags will also be giving undrafted running back James Robinson the nod to start, too, after the team waived Leonard Fournette recently.

Jags injury report: TE Tyler Davis out for season opener vs. Colts

The Jags will be without just one player to open the season against the Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Davis.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be close to 100% when they take the field Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, they only had one player on the injury report in rookie tight end Tyler Davis who is dealing with a knee injury.

Davis, who the Jags drafted in the sixth-round in April’s draft, has surfaced on the injury report since Wednesday and was held out of each session.

Without Davis, the Jags currently have two tight ends on the active roster in Tyler Eifert and James O’Shaughnessy. If the staff isn’t comfortable with just those two players, both Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan are available on the practice squad for a call up. The Jags could also use fullback Bruce Miller as a tight end, too, if needed.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

Podcast: Jags Wire discusses Week 1’s matchup with Colts Wire’s Arden Franklyn

The Bleav in the Jags Podcast finally brought fans some regular season content by talking Colts vs. Jags with Colts Wire’s Arden Franklyn.

Finally, we’re at the time of the year where the “Bleav in Jags Podcast” will now be producing content about the regular season for the Jags Wire. That said, in this week’s episode we previewed Week 1’s matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars.

For this season’s series of regular season episodes, the goal is to bring our listeners and readers a guest to break down the Jags’ opponents and we achieved that this week by having on our good friend, Colts Wire contributor, and 4$IDE Network CEO Arden Franklyn. As a longtime Colts fan Arden shared his thoughts about the Colts’ free-agent additions, their draft class, Philip Rivers, X-factors to watch in Sunday’s game, and more.

Afterward, Phil and I discussed our record predictions for the Jags and Phil also got a do-over on his hot take of the season due to Josh Oliver heading to injured reserve.

Feel free to listen to the archived episodes of “Bleav in the Jags,”too, and subscribe via Apple podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

Jags injury report: TE Tyler Davis misses second practice

Jags TE Tyler Davis may miss his first game due to an knee injury as he’s missed two days of practice this week.

The Jacksonville Jaguars only had three players to miss practice Thursday as the team inches closer to their season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Those players were tight ends James O’Shaughnessy (veteran day off) and Tyler Davis (knee), and defensive end Adam Gotsis (veteran day off).

Rookie cornerback Josiah Scott (shoulder) also surfaced on the report as a new addition, but was a full participant.

With Davis being the only player in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game the Jags seem to be in good shape. The only concern some might have is entering Week 1’s game with just two tight ends in O’Shaughnessy and Tyler Eifert, both of whom have had injury concerns in the past.

One thing worth noting is that the Jags have fullback Bruce Miller on the roster, who can also take on some duties at tight end if needed. The Jags also have tight ends Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan on practice squad if needed.

Running back Devine Ozigbo was also listed on the injury report, however, we’ve already reported that he was sent to injured reserve. To fill his spot on the roster the Jags signed former Tampa Bay Bucs running back Dare Ogunbowale.

RB Devine Ozigbo listed among 3 players on Jags’ first injury report

The Jags first injury report of the season only had three players, but one of them was RB Devine Ozigbo.

The Jacksonville Jaguars first injury report of the 2020 season only had three players on it, with one simply having a day off in tight end Tyler Eifert. The other two players to surface on the report were running back Devine Ozigbo (hamstring) and Tyler Davis (knee), both of whom didn’t practice.

Of course, when looking at the Jags’ running back situation Ozigbo’s injury is the one that sticks out. The Jags already have Ryquell Armstead on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and according to Doug Marrone, he will be out for “a while,” which has concerned many fans.

Ozigbo is one of three running backs on the active roster alongside rookie James Robinson and Chris Thompson. They also have fullback Bruce Miller on the roster and Nathan Cottrell on the practice squad if needed.

As for Davis, his situation is worth watching, too, because the Jags would only have two tight ends left on the active roster in Eifert and James O’Shaughnessy, both of whom have injury concerns. Again, if needed Miller could serve as a tight end and the team has options on the practice squad in Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan.

Here’s the Jags’ first unofficial depth chart of 2020

The Jags’ first depth chart (albeit unofficial) of the 2020 season has been released and it contains some interesting listings on it.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars compiling their 53-man roster Saturday and filling all but one of their practice squad spots Monday, the team released its unofficial depth chart (emphasis on the word unofficial) for Week 1.

As fans have seen in the past, the Jags will kick their 2020 season off with a divisional game against their divisional rivals in the Indianapolis Colts and it’s a game in which many aren’t taking the Jags to win. The reason for that is because the roster is the youngest in the league, coming into the season with an average age figure of 24.9 and 16 rookies on the roster. Simply put, that could lead to a lot of changes throughout the season.

Here is how the Jags’ initial unofficial depth chart shook out on offense, defense, and special teams:

*Note: We’ll save our takeaways and analysis for a separate post.

Offense

Positon Player 1 Player 2 Player 3
QB Gardner Minshew II Jake Luton*
FB Bruce Miller
RB James Robinson* Devine Ozigbo Chris Thompson
WR D.J. Chark Jr. Keelan Cole Sr. Collin Johnson*
WR Chris Conley Laviska Shenault Jr.* Dede Westbrook
LT Cam Robinson Will Richardson Jr.
LG Andrew Norwell Ben Bartch*
C Brandon Linder Tyler Shatley
RG A.J. Cann Ben Bartch*
RT Jawaan Taylor Will Richardson Jr.
TE James O’Shaughnessy Tyler Eifert Tyler Davis*

Defense

Positon Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7
DE Josh Allen K’Lavon Chaisson*
NT Abry Jones Davon Hamilton* Doug Costin*
DT Taven Bryan Timmy Jernigan
DE Adam Gotsis Dawuane Smoot
WLB Myles Jack Dakota Allen
MLB Joe Schobert Shaquille Quarterman*
SLB Leon Jacobs Cassius Marsh Sr.
CB Tre Herndon Chris Claybrooks* Josiah Scott*
CB CJ Henderson* D.J. Hayden Luq Barcoo*
FS  Jarrod Wilson Andrew Wingard Brandon Watson
SS Josh Jones Daniel Thomas*

Special teams

Position Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5
P Logan Cooke
K Josh Lambo
LS Ross Matiscik*
PR Dede Westbrook Chris Claybrooks*
KR Keelan Cole Chris Claybrooks*

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

 

The good, the bad, and the ugly from the Jaguars’ 38-20 win vs. Colts

The Jags ended the season with a victory, but it feels like one that came much too late.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended their season with a huge victory over the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 38-20 Sunday.

The Jaguars avenged an earlier loss from the Colts back in Week 12 where they were embarrassed by a score of 33-13. Sunday would provide a different story as the Jaguars would go on to set a season-high in points in their win against their division rivals.

Just as the season did, the Jags’ Week 17 game against the Colts had its share of ups and downs. Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Jaguars’ season finale against the Indianapolis Colts:

The good: Ending the season on a high note

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Jaguars may not have had the season that everyone had hoped for, but at least they gave the fans something to be happy about Sunday — even if only for a week.

The Jags played nearly flawless football on both ends. On the offensive side, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II played well as he finished the game 27-of-39 with 295 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Although Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. had a modest game, he finished with his first 1,000 yard campaign of his career ending the season with 72 receptions and 1,008 receiving yards to go along with eight receiving touchdowns.

The Jaguars secondary played one of their better games of the season, limiting Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett to a 48% completion percentage (12-of-25) for 162 yards and a 6.0 (out of 100) QBR. It was a complete improvement from their Week 12 matchup where Brissett finished with 15-of-24 passing yards with 148 yards and a touchdown.

The Jaguars played almost perfect ball on the defensive side except:

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Watch: Highlights from Jaguars’ 38-20 victory over Colts

Revisit the highlights from the Jaguars’ final game of the decade as they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38-20.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are heading into the offseason on a high note with a decisive 38-20 win over their AFC South rivals: the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars had a disappointing season in 2019, but Gardner Minshew and company decided to make one last statement as the team rallied in the second half to upset the 7-8 Colts.

Lets revisit the highlights for the final game of the decade:

The game started out in favor of the Colts as they quickly struck first with a field goal, but Jaguars’ kicker Josh Lambo quickly answered with one of his own. After a Colts touchdown and a second Jaguars field goal from Lambo, the Jaguars found the end zone on a 14-yard pitch and catch from Gardner Minshew to Keelan Cole.

The Colts quickly rallied to score 10 more points, retaking the lead 20-13. However, after that point, it was all Duval. Jacksonville fired back with a bomb of a kick from Lambo, nailing a 56-yard field goal to end the half, still trailing 20-16. We all need a hero, and for Jacksonville, no player has answered that call more so than Lambo.

In the second half, Jacksonville started right where they left off and never let off the gas pedal. With Fournette out with the flu, back-up halfback Ryquell Armstead stepped up and filled the void admirably. In the third quarter, Armstead helped Jacksonville retake the lead catching a 3-yard touchdown from Minshew.

After taking a 24-20 lead, the Jaguars pinned Indianapolis deep in their own territory, and as Ngakoue often does, the premier pass-rusher forced a fumble that cemented the Jaguars’ victory.

The fun didn’t end there as Dede Westbrook made the final statement, reeling in a 18-yard beauty from Minshew before the game ended.

Sunday’s win was fun due to the fact that the Jags’ franchise is in an awkward place in time. The team has developing young stars in place like D.J. Chark Jr., Tre Herndon, and Josh Allen to build around. With the right men at the helm, this franchise has all it needs to return to glory.

Jaguars inactives: 2 key players to miss season finale

The Jaguars will be without these two veteran leaders as it was announced that both players will be inactive against the Colts Week 17.

In a season filled with adversity and inconsistency, Leonard Fournette and AJ Bouye have been two of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ most reliable players. Unfortunately, the Jaguars will be without these two veteran leaders as it was announced that both players will be inactive against the Indianapolis Colts Week 17.

Fournette, a player often criticized for his injury history, played in 15 regular season games and one could argue he has been the team’s MVP in 2019. The former fourth overall pick has galloped on his way to 1,152 yards rushing as well as 522 yards receiving, both career highs for the young halfback. He has become the team’s best playmaker over the course of the year. However, he announced that he came down with the flu Saturday, which means Ryquell Armstead will start in his place.

Bouye has had quite the season. Early on fans were expecting him to be a cap casualty because of Jalen Ramsey needing a contract extension. That, of course, wouldn’t be the case as Ramsey was dealt to the Los Angeles Rams, catapulting Bouye to the Jags No. 1 corner spot. Overall, the former All-Pro has performed well, covering opposing team’s best receivers. Unfortunately, the team will be without him in their last game of the season as Bouye has been dealing with a wrist injury.

Both injuries definitely don’t help the Jaguars’ cause as they will could surpass their 2018 win total with a win. Still, in a divisional game, crazy things can happen as we’ve already witnessed with the Miami Dolphins upsetting the New England Patriots Week 17.

As for the Colts, here are their inactives for the season finale matchup.