Jacksonville Jaguars Spoil Anthony Richardson’s NFL Debut, 31-21

The Jacksonville Jaguars had an exhilarating opening game after taking down the Indianapolis Colts 31-21.

Despite a solid debut from former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, the Jaguars dominated and took down the Colts’ defense and offense.

1-0@net_acr | #JAXvsIND pic.twitter.com/JBnRKmgMVe

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 10, 2023

Game Highlights

The Jaguars came in strong during the first two quarters of the game after gaining two touchdowns, putting the score at 14-7. However, toward the end of the third quarter, the Colts were looking for any room to come back and continue pushing.

Despite recovering a fumble from Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, running back Tank Bigsby appeared to have mistakingly believed the whistle had gone off. With just three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Colts were now up 21-17 after DeForest Buckner scooped up the ball that was poked out by Colts defender Zaire Franklin.

https://twitter.com/Colts/status/1700952418681495601?s=20

Through the first three quarters, Jacksonville’s rushing attack was struggling. Travis Etienne Jr. carried the ball 13 times for just 42 yards, whereas the rest of the Jaguars accounted for seven carries for two yards.

Just The Beginning

Former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson might have taken defeat for his debut game, but played a marvelous game and even broke some records while doing so.

With a touchdown and interception, Richardson completed 24 of his 37 passes for 223 yards. In addition, he ran the ball 10 times for 40 yards and a touchdown. During the second quarter, his first rushing touchdown of his professional career tied up the game.

The 24 completions Richardson accomplished broke Andrew Luck’s franchise record for most completions by a rookie. Also as a rookie quarterback, Richardson set another franchise record for the best completion percentage by a QB in his first NFL game with 64.9%.

https://twitter.com/Colts/status/1701246579662074137?s=20

Up Next

The Jaguars will take on the 0-1 Kansas City Chiefs for a home-opening game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Chiefs beat the Jaguars in November of last year, and then again during a playoff game in January. However, the Chiefs were defeated during their first opening game, and the Jaguars will look to take advantage after the strong win against the Colts.