JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars will travel to Indianapolis to face their AFC South rivals, the Colts, in their third divisional matchup of the season at 1 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium. Check out the five key stats regarding the Jaguars defensive backs and their impact on this week's matchup:
1. Ramsey Rising: CB Jalen Ramsey has been a huge issue for opposing QBs, especially dating back to Week 15 of the 2016 season. In his last nine appearances, Ramsey has posted 19 passes defensed, the most in the NFL over that span. In 2017, he has the third lowest opponent passer rating among CBs in the NFL, with a 35.2 mark when he's in coverage against the targeted receiver. Colts QB Jacoby Brissett currently has an 81.1 passer rating, but will have his hands full with Ramsey on Sunday.
2. Bad and Bouye: After signing with the Jaguars in March, CB A.J. Bouye has been making an impression on the Jaguars' defensive unit. Bouye has been targeted 38 times and has only allowed 14 receptions, according to Pro Football Focus. Bouye also has posted a lower opponent passer rating (34.3) than Ramsey and ranks second among CBs in the league. Together, they have totaled 17 passes defensed this season, which is tied for the most among defensive back tandems for any team in the league. The Jaguars have allowed only three QBs to throw for over 200 yards this season. Bouye and the Jaguars will need to stop WRs T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief from getting any opportunities for big gains on Sunday.
3. Going to Church: Eighth-year S Barry Church signed with Jacksonville as an unrestricted free agent in March and the veteran has been earning his keep. Church returned his first career INT for a TD in Week 5 against Pittsburgh, and also registered his first career sack. Church will be key to stopping Colts RB Frank Gore in the box and forcing Brissett to look outside the hashes this weekend.
4. No Fly Zone: In the past six games, FS Tashaun Gipson has totaled three INTs, including two against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in Week 5. This marks Gipson's fourth season with multiple INTs and he currently ranks third in the NFL among safeties with 17 INTs since 2013. Gipson's two INTs against Pittsburgh tied a single game career-high, a feat that he's accomplished three times in his career. With the help of the other DBs, Gipson has been having a great season and you should look to see him continue his impressive play against the Colts this Sunday.
5. Interception Perception: In six games, the Jaguars have totaled 10 INTs, the most in the NFL and the most in the first six games of a season in franchise history. Of their 10 INTs, the Jaguars have scored points on eight of those takeaways, including two INTs for TDs. Brissett has only thrown three INTs this season, but if the Colts' rushing attack gets off to another slow start, Brissett will be forced to throw more, which will lead to more opportunities for the DBs to get their hands on the ball.
*Every Friday during the 2017 NFL regular season, Jaguars public relations assistant Gaby Moran will bring five key stats about the Jaguars heading into the game on Sunday. You can follow her on Twitter @gabsmoran. *
