Colts miss out on playoffs after shock Jags defeat

Trevor Lawrence impressed on the final day of the season

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars saved their best performance of the season for the final day as they rocked the playoff picture with a stunning 26-11 victory over the win-and-in Indianapolis Colts, who missed out on a postseason berth.

Story of the Game

No. 1 overall pick Lawrence finished the game 23 of 32 passing for 223 yards and two touchdowns to Laquon Treadwell and Marvin Jones Jr to lead the Jaguars to just their third win of the season.

Carson Wentz endured a miserable day as he was sacked six times, lost a fumble and was punished with an interception-turned-touchdown, while the NFL’s rushing leader Jonathan Taylor was limited to just 77 yards off 15 carries.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens subsequently confirmed the Colts’ elimination from playoff contention.

The Jaguars put the game beyond the Colts in the third quarter when Lawrence salvaged a botched snap to roll right and loft a three-yard touchdown pass to Jones at the back of the end zone to make it 23-3.

Wentz had been intercepted on the previous drive when Damien Wilson picked off his sideline pass intended for Mo Alie-Cox. The Colts quarterback had almost been intercepted moments earlier when Daniel Thomas collected a pass that had flown through the fingertips of Michael Pittman Jr., only for replays to show the ball had hit the ground.

It continued a torrid second half for Wentz, who had fumbled under pressure from Wilson before seeing DaVon Hamilton recover the loose ball at Indianapolis’ 23 to set up a 39-yard Matthew Wright field goal.

The Colts’ hopes of launching a fourth-quarter comeback were dealt a blow when Taylor was stuffed at the goalline on fourth-and-one with 13 minutes to play, before Parris Campbell failed to haul in Wentz’s deep-shot on fourth-and-12.

Lawrence was a perfect eight for eight to begin the game as the Jags scored on their opening drive for just the second time this season, Treadwell snagging a two-yard strike on his out-route after Jones had collected two third-down catches to keep the possession alive.

Wentz was sacked on third-and-three at the Jags’ 12 as the Colts response ended in a 41-yard Michael Badgley field goal, before the Jaguars opted against going for it on fourth-and-two from the four, instead bringing out Wright to kick the 22-yard field goal.

Jacksonville looked in good shape to find the end zone again when Lawrence connected with Treadwell at the two-yard line, but Shenault couldn’t complete his catch while back-peddling towards the pylon and out came Wright to kick a 20-yard field goal, giving the Jags a 13-3 lead at the break.

It was Wright who ultimately settled it, splitting the posts from 31 yards out to make it 26-3 with eight minutes to play before Pittman Jr scored a consolation 12-yard touchdown followed by his catch for the two-point conversion.

Stats Leaders

Colts

• Passing: Carson Wentz, 17/29, 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Rushing: Jonathan Taylor, 15 carries, 77 yards
• Receiving: Michael Pittman Jr., six catches, 64 yards, 1 TD

Jaguars

• Passing: Trevor Lawrence, 23/32, 223 yards, 2 TDs
• Rushing: Ryquell Armstead, nine carries, 52 yards
• Receiving: Marvin Jones Jr., seven catches, 88 yards, 1 TD

Scoring Summary

What’s Next?

For the Jaguars, it’s another search for a new head coach and another No. 1 overall pick to make use of after they sealed the first selection in the Draft thanks to the Detroit Lions’ win over the Green Bay Packers.

Elsewhere for the Colts, the offseason beckons as a long, hard look at what went wrong in arguably the most disappointing performance of the season to cost themselves a playoff berth.

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