Lawrence comes up big on his birthday and leads the Jags to their 1st win, 37-34 over the Colts

Updated Oct. 6, 2024 6:00 p.m. ET

Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No longer winless, the Jacksonville Jaguars can now start working on not being defenseless.

Trevor Lawrence threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns on his 25th birthday and put Jacksonville in position for Cam Little's 49-yard field goal with 17 seconds left that gave the Jaguars their first victory of the season, 37-34 over the short-handed Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Tank Bigsby ran for 101 yards and two scores for Jacksonville (1-4), which won for the first time since December and extended its home streak against division rival Indianapolis (2-3) to double digits.

“I kind of know we don’t lose to them, so I’m like, ‘Good timing, good timing,'" Jags defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said.

Jacksonville won its 10th consecutive home game in the series while wearing throwback uniforms on a day the franchise inducted retired coach Tom Coughlin into its ring of honor. It was a fitting tribute to the man who built an expansion team into a contender.

But another late-game collapse left the Jaguars looking for more answers. The Colts scored 24 points in the fourth quarter despite playing without quarterback Anthony Richardson, running back Jonathan Taylor and center Ryan Kelly. They racked up 447 yards and converted 7 of 14 third downs, providing more headaches for new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

Joe Flacco, a 39-year-old veteran who beat Jacksonville in Cleveland last season, completed 33 of 44 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns. He directed 42- and 45-second scoring drives to rally the Colts from a 14-point deficit late.

Flacco had one final chance, but Travon Walker ended the game with his third sack.

“Obviously, it’s one of those games that ends up being kind of like you want the ball last," Flacco said. "This is the NFL. You’re going to play games like this, and you got to be able to dig deep and try to find a way to win.”

The Colts haven't won in Jacksonville since 2014, a losing streak that clearly has the team's attention.

“I don’t have a great answer for you. I’ve been here two years," coach Shane Steichen said. "I know some of the guys in the locker room have been around it, but we got to get that fixed for sure going forward.”

Lawrence ended his nine-game skid as a starter. He completed 28 of 34 passes, although he did throw his first interception of the season. He connected with rookie Brian Thomas for an 85-yard touchdown in the second quarter and with Christian Kirk for 61 yards that set up another TD pass.

Thomas finished with five receptions for 122 yards.

Lawrence, Thomas and Bigsby were the catalysts for a team that was seemingly on the verge of unraveling. Lawrence and receiver Gabe Davis got into a sideline argument in the first quarter and had to be separated. That followed a mid-week report that said coach Doug Pederson had lost the locker room.

Pederson and his players denied any discord and certainly will point to beating Indy as a potential turning point.

“There was some frustration. We had a little back and forth and cleared it up. That's all it is. I love when stuff like that happens. You confront issues. ... Let's talk about it and move on. We did a great job of that."

Coughlin gets a teal jacket

The first coach in Jaguars history who was twice fired by the franchise was inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars at halftime. Coughlin donned a teal jacket as his name was unveiled inside the stadium.

Coughlin helped build the Jaguars from the ground up between 1995 and 2002. He led the expansion team to the AFC title game in 1996 and 1999.

Coughlin was joined on stage by fellow Pride members Tony Boselli, Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith.

“I’m humbled. I’m very proud," Coughlin said. “For me, it’s never about the individual. It’s always about the team. And I really regret the fact that I could never just stand there for lack of time and read the first staff and the supporters and so on and so forth. I think you’d get a kick out of it.”

Key injuries

Colts: Right guard Will Fries broke his right leg in the third quarter and was carted off the field with his leg in an air cast. Steichen said Fries will remain overnight in Jacksonville for surgery.

Jaguars: Returner Devin Duvernay left with a hamstring injury. Safety Antonio Johnson dealt with cramping issues.