Jaguars 26, Colts 11: Jacksonville Stuns Rival in Season Finale

On a day in which Jaguars fans filled TIAA Bank Field fitted with clown costumes to protest the future direction of the team, the Jaguars' players did anything but clown around during a 26-11 win over the Indianapolis Colts to close out the 2021 season.

With the Colts needing a win to secure a playoff spot and their own destiny, the Jaguars stepped up and made the Colts look like the true bozos on Sunday, with the Jaguars dominating the Colts in all three phases and finishing the season with a 3-14 record and a win to go into the 2022 offseason.

Trevor Lawrence got off to a hot start on Sunday -- the kind of start that has evaded the Jaguars' offense all season long. Whether it was a 3rd-and-short or a 3rd-and-long, Lawrence was perfect for Jacksonville's opening drive, completing 8-of-8 passes for 83 yards and finishing with a two-yard touchdown pass to Laquon Treadwell.

Lawrence's big drive, which saw him throw his third touchdown pass in the last 10 games, saw him complete three passes on third-down and find Marvin Jones on several big downs against Matt Eberflus' defense.

Jacksonville's positive momentum continued on their first defensive drive as well. After the Colts managed a few first positive gains following a big kick return, the Jaguars' defense stiffened on third- and fourth-down.

On third-down, Nevin Lawson did a good job of keeping Jack Doyle from gaining separation on a short dumpoff, resulting in an interception. On the very next play, Adam Gotsis burst through the middle of the Colts' offensive line to stop Jonathan Taylor short of the first-down, forcing a turnover on downs and gifting the Jaguars' offense the ball.

The Jaguars weren't able to take advantage of the defensive stand, however. Lawrence completed three more passes on the next drive to start 11-for-11, but a Jawaan Taylor holding penalty and a blown up screen pass to Ryquell Armstead led to the Jaguars having to punt near midfield on 4th-and-7.

Jacksonville's defense kept up its intensity on the next drive, however. Playing with a renewed energy and confidence, the Jaguars were able to limit the Colts to a field goal as opposed to a touchdown after three huge plays made by young defenders.

First, rookie safety Andre Cisco forced a Nyheim Hines fumble on first-down that was just barely recovered by the Colts. Then, Tyson Campbell made a rare play for a cornerback when he was able to track down Taylor in space and make a one-on-one tackle for a loss. Finally, Josh Allen recorded his first sack since Week 9, bringing down Wentz for a loss on third-down to get the Jaguars off the field.

Jacksonville was able to answer back with a field goal of their own via a 22-yard Matthew Wright field goal, though the call to kick on 4th-and-2 near the Colts' goal line was a peculiar one considering the massive success the Jaguars were finding through the air at all levels of the field.

The Jaguars got one more crack at scoring before the half ended, driving down the field thanks to big gains from Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault and a defensive pass interference on the Colts. The Jaguars once again opted to lick a field goal within the five-yard line, however, after Shenault dropped a would-be touchdown with 00:02 left in the half, resulting in another 20-yard field goal from Wright and a 13-3 lead for the Jaguars.

Lawrence finished the first half 19-of-25 for 208 yards and one touchdown, with one of his six incompletions being a drop by Treadwell on what should have been a 50+ yard gain downfield, while another was a dropped touchdown by Shenault. It was the best half of Lawrence's NFL career and the kind of half that saw Lawrence utilizing every piece of his offense.

The Colts generated just four first downs in the first half compared to the Jaguars' 14, with the Jaguars limiting Taylor to 18 yards on eight carries. Overall, the Jaguars out-gained the Colts 239-75 in the first half, with the Jaguars gaining 6.5 yards per play compared to the Colts' meager 3.4 yards per play.

The second-half didn't start any better for a Colts team that was playing for its playoff life. After a big catch-and-run by Taylor on 3rd-and-short, the Colts dropped back to pass against a heavy blitz look from Jacksonville. Linebacker Damien Wilson perfectly timed his blitz and was able to wrap up Wentz at the top of his drop, recording a sack and then a forced fumble after Wentz foolishly tried to shove pass the ball before going down.

After the fumble -- which was Jacksonville's third forced fumble of the contest -- was recovered by second-year defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, the Jaguars extended their lead by another three points via a 39-yard field goal by Wright. The Jaguars failed to turn the fumble into six points in large part due to another drop by Shenault (this time on third-down), but the Jaguars were able to increase their lead from 10 to 13.

Wentz continued to try to push the game into the Jaguars' favor on the next two drives. First, Wentz nearly threw an interception to second-year safety Daniel Thomas on a third-down pass that was both high and behind his intended target. After initially being ruled an interception, the call was overturned to incomplete, though it still forced a Colts punt.

After the Jaguars went three-and-out with the ball, Wentz continued to put the ball in harm's way. This time it was an interception to Wilson, who forced the earlier fumble, giving the Jaguars the ball and a revamped jolt of momentum.

Thanks to big plays by Lawrence and Ryquell Armstead, the Jaguars were able to take advantage of this Wentz turnover and drive the ball into Colts' territory. Then, Lawrence made a play that one could only expect from a No. 1 overall pick.

On a snap that was far too high, Lawrence was able to tip the ball with one hand, catch it with his back to the defense, outrun the defender on the edge, and then throw a perfectly-placed pass to Jones for a touchdown while on the move and off-balanced, his second touchdown pass of the game.

The Jaguars' pass-rush continued to pour it on with a 23-3 lead. On top of Allen's two sacks and Wilson's sack, the Jaguars also got sacks from Gotis, one from Dawuane Smoot and a split sack from Malcom Brown and Jihad Ward. This unit was the biggest reason the Jaguars' defense was able to bull the Colts' offense for much of the game, limiting the Colts' drop-back passing game and neutralizing Wentz.

The defensive front did its part against the run, too. With the Colts facing 4th-and-1 from the Jaguars' one-yard line, the Jaguars entire defense pitched in to stop Taylor short yet again, with Smoot and Allen coming up big on the tackles for a gain of no yards and a turnover on downs.

The Colts attempted to fight back with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with 4:26 left, though a 31-yard field goal from Wright preceded it and gave the Jaguara a 26-3 lead before the touchdown and two-point conversion made it 26-11.

But even a late attempt to reverse their fortunes couldn't help the Colts -- not in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars have beat the Colts every single year since 2014.

The Jaguars simply have the Colts' number at TIAA Bank Field, and this continued on Sunday, even as the Colts were fighting for a spot in the playoffs.

After a year in which almost nothing went right for the Jaguars, nothing really went wrong on Sunday. Lawrence played mistake-free football and made big plays with his arm and legs. The defense dominated a healthy Colts offensive line. Rookies like Andre Cisco, Tyson Campbell, and Walker Little all made big plays to push the Jaguars past a previously 9-7 Colts team that otherwise looked like the vastly better squad entering Sunday.

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