Jaguars 31, Colts 21: Jacksonville Avoids Upset in Indianapolis

Trevor Lawrence's two touchdowns and a pair of touchdowns from Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne helped the Jaguars avoid a potential Week 1 upset.

Author:
John Shipley
Publish date:
Sep 10, 2023 4:35 PM EDT

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered Week 1 as the obvious favorites over the Indianapolis Colts, but they made sure not to make things look that easy when it came time to play.

Jacksonville managed to avoid a potential Week 1 upset, winning 31-21 thanks to rookie mistakes from the opposing quarterback and timely plays from all three of their own units.

The Jaguars overcame a 21-17 deficit, scoring two touchdowns in a span of two minutes to take a late lead over the Colts for their first win at Lucas Oil Stadium since 2017.

Jacksonville managed to get in their own way throughout the first three quarters before Jamal Agnew ignited a stagnant Jaguars' offense with a 48-yard punt return. After a fourth-down conversion from Trevor Lawrence to Zay Jones, the Jaguars saw rookie running back Tank Bigsby carry the offense -- and a pack of Colts defenders -- to the one-yard line for a shot at redemption.

The Jaguars were in a hole in part due to rookie mistakes from Bigsby in his NFL debut. The third-round pick had a Lawrence pass go off his hands in the first half, with the drop landing in the hands of Colts' defensive back Tony Brown for an interception.

But it was at the end of the third quarter where Bigsby's biggest mistake came. After Lawrence was sacked by Colts' defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, the ball bounced off the turf and into Bigsby's hands. While the offense and Bigsby reacted as if the play was dead, the whistle never blew.

Instead, a Colts defender made a heads-up play and punched the ball out of Bigsby's hands and into Buckner's, with the big man returning it 26 yards for a touchdown.

Bigsby made up for it in the fourth quarter, though, getting a first down at the goal line by carrying multiple Colts defenders despite being hit in the backfield. On the next play, Bigsby recorded the first touchdown of his career on a one-yard plunge to retake the lead.

The Jaguars' defense backed up the offense's wake-up moment, with Tyson Campbell intercepting rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson at the Colts' 44-yard line with five minutes left. It was Campbell's second takeaway of the game and the defense's third overall, with Campbell and Andre Cisco forcing fumbles earlier in the game.

Campbell's interception eventually led to Travis Etienne putting the nail in the coffin with a 26-yard touchdown, his first of the season. Etienne finished with 18 carries for 77 yards, with the Jaguars' rushing attack ultimately only averaging 3.0 yards per carry and gaining 105 yards on 35 carries.

It was the passing game that carried the Jaguars' offense, with Lawrence finishing the game 24-of-32 for 241 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a passer rating of 103.8. Lawrence threw touchdowns to Jones and Calvin Ridley, who recorded eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in his Jaguars debut.

Defensively, the Jaguars limited the Colts to just 2.5 yards per carry, dominating the trenches vs. the run and pass. Josh Allen recorded a career-high three sacks and three tackles for loss, with Travon Walker also adding a sack.

With the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans losing to the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints, the Jaguars are the only AFC South team to leave Week 1 with a victory. The Jaguars will play the Kansas City Chiefs at home next week.

Stats of the Game (9/10/23 vs. the Colts) Via: @theryanmichael

Trevor Lawrence finished the game 24 of 32 (75.0%) for 241 yards (7.5 YPA), 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and a 103.8 passer rating.

Calvin Ridley caught 8 passes off 11 targets for 101 yards (12.6 Y/C) and 1 touchdown in his Jaguars debut. It was his first 100+ yard receiving performance since 12/27/20 (987 days ago) @ the Chiefs.