JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdown passes to Christian Kirk, and Jacksonville dominated short-handed Indianapolis 24-0 on Sunday for its eighth consecutive home victory in the series.
The Jaguars sacked Matt Ryan five times, intercepted three of his passes, held reigning NFL rushing champion Jonathan Taylor to 54 yards and notched their eighth shutout in franchise history. The past three have come against Indianapolis (0-1-1), which hasn’t won in Jacksonville since 2014.
This one was never in doubt and helped Doug Pederson record his first victory with the Jags.
Jacksonville (1-1) scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions and cruised past the team picked as a contender in the AFC South.
Lawrence completed 25 of 30 passes for 235 yards, with TD passes of 5 and 10 yards to Kirk. Kirk finished with six catches for 78 yards.
James Robinson ran 23 times for 60 yards, including a 37-yard TD scamper in the first half that showed he’s fully back from a torn Achilles tendon sustained last December.
Jacksonville's defense was the bigger story. Rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd and safeties Andre Cisco and Rayshawn Jenkins picked off Ryan. Josh Allen had two of the unit's five sacks. He also forced a fumble. It was one of the more impressive shutouts in franchise history.
It also might come with an asterisk. The Colts played without three key starters: All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard and receivers Michael Pittman and rookie Alec Pierce. Without Pittman, Ryan had little experience and even less speed on the field. Ashton Dulin led the way with five receptions for 79 yards.
Ryan had been 4-0 against Jacksonville. But he will surely feel his first loss against the team. Ryan was knocked around early and often — his jersey was covered in dirt and grass stains — and was slow to get up after several hits.
The Colts had two fourth-quarter drives in the red zone, but Ryan was under duress on both incompletions to the end zone.
Indy’s bigger issue was getting Taylor loose. After running for 161 yards last week in a tie at Houston, Taylor had just 4 yards on five carries at halftime. He broke free for a 21-yard gain in the second half, but it was too little too late.
Colts coach Frank Reich fell to 0-5 against Jacksonville, a dubious skid that surely won't sit well with team owner Jim Irsay. Reich and his team blew a chance to make the playoffs last season by losing the finale in Jacksonville. They spent the past eight months waiting for this rematch — and then were essentially no-shows.
-
90-year-old Indy outdoorsman featured in new documentary
The Fish Thief will have a special screening at the Madam Walker Legacy Center on September 16, 2025, at 7 p.m.Speeding concerns on Meridian Street reach new high following deadly crash
Residents in one north side neighborhood are raising new concerns over speeding issues on North Meridian Street following a deadly crash over the weekend.University of Indianapolis helps research ways to improve literacy rates
The Department of Education's latest IREAD assessment shows third-grade reading scores made their biggest single-year jump since testing started in 2013.Police investigating dozens of car break-ins across neighborhoods in Fishers
Fishers police are investigating a rash of vehicle break-ins over the weekend that left dozens of residents with shattered windows and costly repairs.