Colts vs. Jaguars 2014 matchups: Where can Jacksonville win?

The Indianapolis Colts, in theory, represent what should be a good matchup for the Jacksonville Jaguars to get things on track on both sides of the ball. Then again, theories don't always play out how you think they will. The areas the Jaguars are weakest against matchup-wise are coincidentally some of the Colts biggest weaknesses.

So what are some areas the Jaguars can win, matchup-wise?

When the Jaguars are on offense

The Colts pass rush virtually doesn't exist. The team has just a single sack in the first two games, including none against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team the Jaguars racked up five sacks against with just their front four. Robert Mathis was going to miss this game anyway as he's dealing with a four-game suspension, but outside linebackers Erik Walden and former first round pick Bjoern Werner leave a lot to be desired as a pass rushing duo. Combined the pair have one sack, two quarterback hits and a single hurry through the first two games of the season according to Pro Football Focus. As a team the Colts have just one sack, six hits and 10 hurries. Most of that came from left end Cory Redding against the Eagles backup right tackle last week.

Coming off a game where Chad Henne was sacked 10 times, Colts fans have to think that they're due to rack up some sacks, but with the Jaguars going against such an anemic pass rush and potentially upgrading the protection on the right side with Sam Young, Henne might finally be able to get into a rhythm against a soft pass defense, giving up nearly 300 yards per game through the first two weeks. We already know the Colts are likely to follow suit like everyone else and stack the box and dare the Jaguars to throw, but this is a defense the Jaguars should actually be able to do that with some success against.

When the Jaguars are on defense

Keep the Colts one-dimensional, and that's not all that difficult. For whatever reason, the Colts are dead set on giving Trent Richardson's the majority of the carries on offense and that plays right into the Jaguars defensive hands. The first two weeks of the season the Jaguars have gone against upper tier rushing teams and did a good job against the Eagles keeping it in check. They started out good against Washington in the same capacity, but 17 missed tackles later they racked up nearly 200 yards on the ground, albeit only averaging four yards per carry.

Simply put, the Colts struggle to run the football and with offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, they still seem committed to it. Against the Eagles on Monday Night Football Andrew Luck seemed to struggle throwing the ball because the Eagles were able to stop the run with their front 4/5 and play pass the whole way. With the Jaguars defensive scheme, they should be able to limit the Colts running game with their front four and play pass the whole way against the Colts. While Luck is a very good young quarterback (but overrated in my eyes), he's still prone to making mistakes. He's thrown three interceptions in the first two games and struggled to get 172 yards in the air on Monday night.

The Jaguars will need to be weary of guys like T.Y. Hilton and the Colts tight ends, Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleeners. That trio will likely stress the middle of the field and the seams, which has been the soft underbelly of the Jaguars defnese so far. If they can keep those players in check, the Colts offense might struggle to move the ball like they did against the Eagles.