Horseshoe Huddle

Colts Lose to Jaguars as Joe Flacco, Alec Pierce Comeback Falls Short

The Indianapolis Colts made a valiant comeback effort but came up short as they fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Andrew Moore

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) forces a fumble by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) forces a fumble by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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The Indianapolis Colts fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 37-34 thriller as they dropped their tenth straight game in Jacksonville. The Colts are now 2-3 on the year and 0-2 in the division.

The Colts came into the game incredibly banged up. Indy was missing nine starters for the AFC South contest, including Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor. While the Colts put up a courageous fight until the end, the injuries and mistakes were too much to overcome.

Joe Flacco got the Colts' offense going early, leading a 75-yard drive to take an early 7-0 lead. Flacco diced up the Jaguars defense with multiple completions to Josh Downs. Flacco finished the drive with a touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr. on fourth down to cap off the impressive start.

The Colts' defense stepped up on their first drive as well. After Trevor Lawrence drove the Jaguars close to the red zone, Jaylon Jones broke up a pass intended for Brian Thomas Jr. on fourth down. It capped off a very energetic first quarter for the Colts in soggy Jacksonville.

The second quarter saw the Jaguars' offense swing the momentum in their favor. After a Colts' three-and-out, Lawrence found Thomas streaking down the right sideline for an 85-yard touchdown. Thomas burned Dallis Flowers on the play, who got caught trying to cheat down on another route. The play gave the Jaguars their first lead of the game.

The Colts came back with explosive plays of their own. Tyler Goodson notched a run of 17 yards and a reception of 24 yards to set the Colts up with a field goal. The big play by Goodson came on a double pass from Flacco to AD Mitchell to Goodson.

Things got very interesting after the two-minute warning as the Colts and Jaguars traded turnovers. With the Jaguars driving before the end of the half, Jones did his best Shaquille Leonard impression by punching the football out of the hands of Gabe Davis for the fumble, recovered by Chris Lammons.

Three plays later, Travon Walker stripped the football from Flacco on a sack of his own. Josh Hines-Allen recovered the fumble at the 10-yard line, leading to a Jaguars field goal to take a 13-10 lead into the half.

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The turnovers did not stop there. Lawrence looked deep for Thomas again in the third quarter, but Nick Cross was there to snag the interception. Cross continues to have a breakout season for the Colts, making plays all over the field.

Unfortunately, the Colts could not take advantage of the Cross interception. After a three-and-out by the offense, Devin Duvernay returned the Colts punt 53 yards to the 19-yard line. It only took one play for the Jaguars to get into the end zone after that, with Tank Bigsby running over the Colts' defense for the score.

But the Colts were not done yet. The offense finally put together another scoring drive, as Flacco led Indy on a 15-play drive that ended in a Mo Alie-Cox touchdown. The score from Flacco to Alie-Cox came on a third-and-15 play, bringing the Colts to within three points at 20-17.

It did not take long for the Jaguars to strike back as Lawrence continued to carve up the Colts' secondary. Lawrence hit Christian Kirk on a 61-yard bomb for another huge gain and finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown to Dalton Strange.

After the Colts tacked on another field goal, the Jaguars added another explosive play. Bigsby forced multiple missed tackles on the way to a 65-yard touchdown. Three plays of over 60 yards by the Jaguars is hard to overcome if you are the Colts.

Although the Colts were down 34-20, head coach Shane Steichen was not about to give up. Two huge plays from Flacco to Alec Pierce set up a one-yard touchdown by Trey Sermon. The Colts only took 45 seconds off the clock.

Following a Jaguars three-and-out, the Colts struck again. Flacco found Pierce again for a 65-yard touchdown to tie the score. It took less than three minutes for the Colts to evaporate a 14-point deficit, thanks to Flacco and Pierce.

The Jaguars got the football back with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter, and that was all they needed. Cam Little banged in a 49-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining to clinch the victory for the Jaguars.

Flacco finished the game 33-of-44 (75%) for 359 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. Flacco did his job as the starting quarterback, leading the Colts to their most points all season. While Flacco lived in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field, he pushed the ball downfield to get back into the game. The Colts brought in Flacco to keep them competitive if Richardson went down, and he did just that.

While he received his first target with less than five minutes remaining in the game, Pierce ended with three catches for 134 yards and the touchdown. Pierce continues to be the Colts' most explosive threat, and Steichen needs to ensure Pierce stays involved in the game plan.

The Colts run game struggled to get going without Taylor in the fold. Sermon and Goodson combined for just 64 yards on 15 carries. With the running game a non-threat, the Jaguars teed off on Flacco for four sacks and numerous pressures.

On the other side of the ball, the Colts' defense had no answer for Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense. Lawrence went 28-of-34 (82%) for 371 yards (career high) and two touchdowns. Lawrence was in complete control all game, as the Colts' pass rush had little impact, and the secondary made too many mistakes to overcome.

The Jaguars' rushing attack also ripped off multiple big gains on the day. With 101 yards on the ground, Bigsby becomes the third running back in five games to run for over 100 yards against the Colts.

While the Colts' defense forced two turnovers, they gave up too many big plays and failed to pressure Lawrence all game. Indy allowed 497 yards and four touchdowns on the day, putting forth an embarrassing performance.

The Colts now look ahead to another divisional opponent, traveling to Nashville in Week 6 to take on the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are coming off of a bye week and have limped to a 1-3 start. The Colts hope to get some key pieces back next week but must clean up their mistakes from Sunday to capture their first AFC South win of the season.

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Andrew Moore
ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.

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