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Jacksonville Jaguars get their first win of the season

Jacksonville Jaguars get their first win of the season

Trevor Lawrence, Tank Bigsby and more goals than the other team.

Those were the key components to the Jacksonville Jaguars' first win of the 2024 season, a 37-34 victory over AFC South rival Indianapolis.

The Colts' first drive felt different. Joe Flacco expertly picked apart the Jaguars' secondary on three consecutive passes of 13 yards, 19 yards and 20 yards. The drive would last 12 plays, 71 yards and more than six minutes. Momentum? Colts.

A crucial four-and-two on the Jaguars' first drive. A great play by the Colts' Jaylon Jones breaks up a Lawrence-to-Thomas pass. Deja vu? The tenth straight game in which he was suspended on the first drive.

The defense was able to stop the Colts the second time around, with the secondary putting on a competent performance.

Give Lawrence a chance to make up for it. Lawrence connected with Travis Etienne Jr. for a first down. Easy route over the middle. A fatal penalty and false start against Brenton Strange turned a manageable third-and-goal (four yards) into a third-and-9.

Lawrence to Thomas, fourth and one. Another gut check moment. Lawrence does it for the first time. Exhale. Something is brewing. Lawrence and the running game seemed to find a rhythm until the Colts went hard on the goal line.

Settle for a Cam Little 23-yarder. 7-3. Could be worse.

A big spot challenge would go in the Jaguars' favor and the Colts would be stopped early on their next drive.

Lawrence and the offense get another chance. It only takes one play – a home run ball to rookie wide receiver and rising star Brian Thomas Jr. from 85 yards. 10-7 lead.

Could there even be hope?

Flacco came back and showed again what age can do to poise and precision. A sack from Josh Hines-Allen wasn't enough to stifle the Colts. Tyler Goodson, one half of the Colts' Jonathan Taylor backup tandem, came to life.

Big run, big screen pass. Lots of momentum. But the Jaguars defense held on. Matt Gay of the Colts must convert a 30-yard attempt to tie the game at 10 yards.

The Jaguars had two timeouts and had 1:44 to play before halftime. Chance of a double-dip as they would receive after halftime. In the third and sixth, Lawrence meets Strange for the decisive first down. No crowds, fast pace.

All for free.

On third-and-10, Lawrence found Gabe Davis for 22 yards, Davis fumbled and the Colts recovered. History of the Jaguars' season. A major momentum killer reminiscent of the Week 1 loss to Miami.

And then something wonderful: Travon Walker, the former first overall pick whose silence in 2024 was a concern, fired Flacco. His Hines-Allen shoots it and gets it far enough for an easy 30-yard field goal for Little.

This is football. Life comes at you fast.

The Jaguars had a 13-10 lead at halftime. Ball back at the start of the second. Chance of a double-digit lead. Jobs at stake.

The second half started strong. Power running balanced with Lawrence-to-Thomas. A favorable three-and-two was blown up thanks to the surprising decision to throw the ball out of the pistol.

They still forced the Colts to punt without doing any damage.

And then, after moving the ball, Lawrence threw an interception to the Colts' Nick Cross. It could have been more expensive, but the Jaguars' defense came into play. The Colts punt and Devin Duvernay returned the ball 50 yards.

Great opportunity for the Jaguars, but could they capitalize on it and get more than just three points?

This answer only took me one try. Tank Bigsby, with the help of his aggressive offensive lineman, took on nearly every member of the Colts defense for a 19-yard touchdown.

However, Flacco and the creative Colts offense refused to die. The injury to offensive lineman Will Fries hurt the Colts' already weakened front. The Colts were still marching thanks to the connection between Flacco and Adonai Mitchell.

The Jaguars' third-down defense continued to struggle to drive their opponent off the field.

With just a quarter to go, the Jaguars had a 10-point lead. Flacco needed just one play to hit Mo Alie-Cox, a jump ball in the end zone. 20-17, but the Jaguars are still on top.

Lawrence and the Jaguars responded with a 61-yard pass to Christian Kirk. One of the best throws Lawrence had made all season. This gave the Jaguars a crucial possession in the red zone. On third-and-goal, it was Lawrence who found Strange and restored the 10-point lead.

This was the offense Pederson and Taylor had promised. Sustained drives, movement, fast pace. Verticality.

The problem? Flacco and the Colts were resilient. The solution? Travon Walker had his best game of the season, scoring another sack of Flacco and influencing the quarterback's throw on the next play.

And then Flacco (39 years old) fights for a 21-yard first down on third down. The Jaguars hold them with a gut check on the third and ninth. Flacco was inches away from scoring a touchdown for Alie-Cox.

Football, the greatest game of customs.

The Colts had to settle for three. The Jaguars have a 27-20 lead with six to go. It's time for situational football (the elusive element of the game that these Jaguars have been most inept at this season) to take hold.

Bigbsy decided to just do it. He stormed down the middle and delivered an explosive 65-yard touchdown run. Did Bigsby call the game?

Flacco, pure Teflon, led the Colts with quick response – two consecutive deep passes for 40 yards. Trey Sermon did it.

Another seven-point game that has the Jaguars sweating. Could they finally finish a game? A threesome didn't bring much confidence. Not when the Colts appear to have all the answers.

These answers also came quickly, through the unthinkable.

Flacco connected with Alec Pierce for a 65-yard touchdown. Left wide open. Asymmetrical secondary game. Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen fell to his knees. 34-34 when the Jaguars had a two-touchdown lead.

It took a two-minute drill for the Jaguars' first win of the season. Lawrence made the right throws with one of his best drives of the season.

Little put the ball through from 49 meters.

The Jaguars would not be left off the winning list in 2024. It was an ugly win, but it might have been enough for Pederson to stay in Duval a little longer.

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