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Jaguars overcome miscues to defeat Colts 31-21 in Week 1. Here are our takeaways.
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- Jaguars overcome miscues to defeat Colts 31-21 in Week 1. Here are our takeaways.
INDIANAPOLIS — Trailing 21-17, Jacksonville Jaguars return man Jamal Agnew patiently waited for the ball to come his way on a punt late in the fourth quarter by the Indianapolis Colts .
Ignoring defenders screaming his way, Agnew caught the punt, quickly reversing to the right side of the field and returning the football 48 yards to the Colts' 46-yard-line.
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That play set up a 10-play, 46-yard drive that ended in a rookie RB Tank Bigsby touchdown that gave the Jaguars a 24-21 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish.
The play prior to the touchdown, however, was the one fans might remember.
On second-and-four, Bigsby took the hand-off and was immediately stopped at the line of scrimmage. However, fellow rookie, tight end Brenton Strange , held onto Bigsby, dragging him and multiple Colts defenders to the one-yard line, giving Jacksonville a first down and the ability for a walk-in touchdown and 24-21 lead.
The Jaguars would add an insurance touchdown with 4:08 to play when Travis Etienne took off for a 26-yard score, giving Jacksonville (1-0) a 31-21 victory over the Colts (0-1).
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The Jaguars entered halftime with a 14-7 lead thanks to two touchdown passes by Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence .
The Jaguars' defense accounted for a pair of fourth-down stops and a fumble recovery in three of the Colts' final four drives of the first half, giving the team an advantage heading into halftime.
Game recap: Jacksonville Jaguars kick off 2023 NFL regular season at Indianapolis Colts
Both outside linebacker Josh Allen and Travon Walker had a sack during the first half with safety Andre Cisco recording the forced fumble, ultimately recovered by defensive lineman Angelo Blackson .
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Jacksonville entered the game having lost nine out of their last 10 games in Indianapolis. Now, they've reset the streak ,putting the onus back on the Colts' side of the coin.
For the Jaguars, the team came into the game relatively healthy, missing only one starter, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, who is on the team's reserve/injured list due to a medical issue with his back.
Rookie receivers Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks , along with running back JaMycal Hasty , rookie cornerback Christian Braswell , defensive lineman Tyler Lacy (hip) and safety Antonio Johnson (hamstring) were deemed inactive. Both Lacy and Johnson were ruled out due to injuries.
For the Colts, the team entered the game without running back Zack Moss , who was downgraded to doubtful Saturday before the game due to a forearm injury and starting RB Jonathan Taylor , who is on the team's reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.
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Jacksonville entered the game with high expectations and a new play-caller in offensive coordinator Press Taylor. Lawrence finished the game completing 24 out of 32 of his passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Here are our takeaways.
Jaguars offensive miscues give some caution, but not too much concern
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence fumbles as he is hit by Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Indianapolis. Buckner recovered the fumble and ran it back for a touchdown. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
The Jaguars had multiple opportunities to put up a bigger lead against the Colts and couldn't take advantage.
To Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, it's something the team will have to get cleaned up moving forward, but it's more about how you respond.
"You're not a well-oiled machine going into Week 1 and that was obviously on display today. But this team, I learned a lot last year with this team and you know, playing for four quarters and learning how to finish, learning how to win — that showed up today," Pederson said in postgame.
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"That's a great sign with our guys into that locker room that no matter what happens, I tell them all the time; there's going to be adversity in the game, right? You're going to give up scores and you're going to give up plays, whatever it is. There's going to be takeaways, all this stuff. But it's just how you respond.
In the first half of action, Lawrence threw an interception that went through the hands of rookie running back Tank Bigsby . That play didn't amount to anything for Indianapolis as they turned the football over on downs.
In the third quarter, however, Lawrence was sacked by Colts DL DeForest Buckner , who stripped the football.
Bigsby recovered the fumble but appeared to have erroneously thought the whistle was blown. Colts defender Zaire Franklin poked the ball out, allowing Buckner to scoop it up and score to give Indianapolis the lead, 21-17 with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
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Jacksonville's rushing attack struggled to get going, too. Through three quarters, Etienne carried the football 13 times for just 42 yards. The rest of Jacksonville's ball carriers accounted for seven carries for two yards.
Though the team was able to overcome the miscues, there was far too much sloppy play in between big positive plays. The team's starting QB agreed with the assessment.
"That's a good team," Lawrence said after the game. "Presented some challenges for us. Offensively, pretty sloppy game. Obviously, some good points in the game for us. We made some plays. We ended up making the plays we had to make to win. Defense really kept us in the game, I thought."
The Jaguars' defense stymied the Colts' offense for the majority of the contest. They made key fourth-down stops and added a couple of turnovers to boot.
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Calvin Ridley picks up where he left off
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) celebrates after scoring during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
If there was one thing that stood out from Sunday's game it was fifth-year receiver Calvin Ridley, who looked like he never left the gridiron, let alone missing one-and-a-half years of football.
Through the first half of action, Ridley paved the way as the team's leading receiver. He caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. That gave Jacksonville an early 7-0 advantage.
Ridley has quickly developed chemistry with Lawrence, giving him the opportunity to thrive early in Jacksonville.
"It's great, not a surprise to me and I don't think it was to anybody," Lawrence said of Ridley's performance. "He played great. It was cool to see him in his first game back. He was amped up and ready to go to play well and make some huge plays for us. It was awesome."
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Ridley finished the game with eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.
He only cares about winning, though, and doesn't think about individual statistics.
"I am so happy we got the win. I am a win-first type of player. When I go out there, I want to play good, but I want to win games," Ridley said after the game.
"It feels so good, we work so hard all week and all camp to go out there and we want to win the games. I thought it was fun and obviously we have to get way better, but I thought it was fun and we got the W."
Ridley reiterated the fact that he felt calm and relaxed going into the game, just as he said in the locker room last week.
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Ultimately, the Jaguars' receiver likes where the team is at and believes they're heading in the right direction. Still, he believes that there was some good play left on the field.
"They [the Colts] played their butts off, but we know we have to get better. In those situations we should have scored more points; we should have been in better situations," he said. "That comes with – obviously that was our first game, but I feel like we're still getting better, we're still learning each other obviously."
Jaguars defense posts solid first outing led by OLB Josh Allen
There's no question that Jacksonville's defense performed well through the final four drives for the Colts during the first half of action, but there were still far too many miscues.
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Jacksonville was called for two inopportune unnecessary roughness fouls through the game, including one a piece by Cisco and linebacker Devin Lloyd . Lloyd's penalty led to the Colts' second score of the game, tying it at 14-14 with 11:25 remaining in the third quarter
Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen recorded three sacks through three quarters against Richardson. Two sacks were caused by Richardson being chased out of bounds by the fifth-year Jaguars defender.
The Jaguars' defense allowed just two of 12 third downs to be converted and one of five fourth downs to be converted by the Colts. The Colts added just 280 total offensive yards, including 215 net passing yards and 65 net rushing yards.
Brandon Scherff 's injury looms large
Jacksonville Jaguars guard Brandon Scherff (68) stretches Monday, Aug. 14, 2023 at Miller Electric Center at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Today was the 14th training camp session.
During the Jaguars' first offensive series in the second half, guard Brandon Scherff went down with an injury to his right ankle. Jaguars medical staff quickly serviced the veteran offensive lineman before assisting him to the team's medical tent.
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Scherff returned to the game with 3:16 remaining in the third quarter, but exited the game shortly thereafter, replaced by veteran OL Tyler Shatley .
Losing Scherff for any length of time would be a significant blow to Jacksonville's offensive line. The team entered the season with a few questions on the O-line due to Cam Robinson 's suspension and the general injuries the team faced throughout camp and into the regular season.
Jaguars head back home to face Chiefs with confidence
Next up: Jaguars will be taking on the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs in Jacksonville at EverBank Stadium.
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The Chiefs are coming off of a brutal Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions .
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars defeat Colts 31-21 in Week 1, Ridley scores in debut
