Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby outpaces Indianapolis Colts cornerback Samuel Womack III for a touchdown during the fourth quarter Sunday at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Jaguars Get First Win Of Season

Adam Edelin October 7, 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL 85 Views

The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts , 37-34, Sunday at EverBank Stadium to notch their first win of the season.

In a matchup where both teams have struggled offensively this season, the game was a surprising offensive battle that saw the teams generate more than 400 yards of offense. The Jags battled in the nail-biter, winning on a 2:23 field-goal drive that put them up 37-34 with 17 seconds left in the game.

After early struggles that sparked questions whether Trevor Lawrence was the guy for Jacksonville, the Jaguars QB had his best game of the season, completing 28 of 34 passes for 371 yards and two TDs. He also had a 82.4% completion percentage, about 25% higher than his second-best performance this season.

Colts Take Early Lead

Colts QB Anthony Richardson remained sidelined week 5 with a hip injury, giving veteran Joe Flacco his first start of the season. The 17-year veteran and 2023 Comeback Player of the Year drove the Colts 71 yards in 12 plays on the game’s opening drive. Six minutes into the first quarter, Indianapolis capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard-line to score the game’s first points.

Jacksonville (1-4) ranks 21st in points per game and 32nd in red zone TDs. The lackadaisical offense seemed all the same to start the game, stalling on the opening drive after a failed fourth-and-2 on the Colt’s 26-yard line.

Jacksonville’s next red zone appearance came in the second quarter. The Jags drove 84 yards in 14 plays. The biggest gain came from a 28-yard pass to running back Tank Bigsby, who had a career-high 129 yards and two TDs on the day.

The Jaguars’ red zone struggles continued when they stalled at the 5-yard-line after the Colts stuffed Bigsby for a 1-yard-run. Jacksonville settled for a chip-shot field goal, setting the score 7-3.

One Spark And Jags Were Off

On Jacksonville’s first play of its next possession, Lawrence connected with Brian Thomas Jr. for an 85-yard touchdown pass. The rookie ran himself wide open, something the first-round pick has done a lot of this season. Thomas Jr. has been one of the few positives for the Jaguars and had his best game of the season with five catches for 155 yards and the touchdown.

It was a shootout after this score. Indianapolis scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, while Jacksonville scored 17. Flacco seems to drink from the Fountain of Youth year after year. The 39-year-old threw for 359 yards and three TDs.

The Colts (2-3) were hot, but the Jags were hotter. Jacksonville responded to every Colts score.

With just under three minutes left in the game, Flacco connected with Alec Pierce for a 65-yard touchdown. It seemed, despite their performance, the Jaguars would fall short again in classic Jaguars fashion.

The Jaguars offense, however, was just too hot. It took them just eight plays to get into field goal range. Kicker Cam Little legged in a 49-yader and Jacksonville took its first win in dramatic fashion.

Up Next

The Jaguars play the Chicago Bears (3-2) in London at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday.

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