National Football League

Matt Ryan, Colts go up-tempo to break out of slump, beat Jaguars

Updated Oct. 16, 2022 9:07 p.m. ET

By Ben Arthur
FOX Sports AFC South Writer

Through five games, the talk about the Indianapolis Colts was their bad offense — anchored by an underperforming, high-priced O-line — that wasn't improving.

Slow starts were an issue. So were an ineffective run game and Matt Ryan's ball security in addition to the poor pass protection. The defense was keeping the team afloat.

On Sunday though, against the division-rival Jaguars, the Colts rode high thanks to the play of that offense.

"They came up big today, and we needed them," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said.

The unit had its best game of the season in Indianapolis' 34-27 victory over Jacksonville at Lucas Oil Stadium in a seesaw affair that included three lead changes.

The 34 points marked a season-high for the Colts, who entered Sunday with the league's worst-scoring offense. It's also their highest point total since Week 11 of the 2021 season.

Indianapolis (3-2-1) has now won two straight games, while Jacksonville (2-4) is on a three-game losing streak.

"We know what we have, and we know the things we can do," said Colts rookie tight end Jelani Woods. "We just have to put it all together and keep going. Today was a good step forward."

How did Indianapolis find success? Playing with tempo and a quick passing game, which put less pressure on the offensive line — which again relied on a new starting five. Braden Smith, who played right guard last week, was moved back to right tackle. Matt Pryor, who was at right tackle in Denver, went to right guard. And third-round rookie Bernard Raimann notched his second straight start at left tackle but was replaced early in the game by veteran Dennis Kelly.

Ryan had his best game as a Colt, completing a career-high 42 passes on 58 attempts for 389 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions and a 107.6 passer rating. After being sacked 21 times in the first five games, Ryan was not dropped once on Sunday. Needless to say, the line played well.

The weapons around Ryan played well, too. No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and backup running back Deon Jackson, starting with All-Pro Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and Nyheim Hines (concussion) out, had career days. Pittman posted career-highs in receptions (13) and receiving yards (134); Jackson had 79 receiving yards (on 10 catches) and 42 rushing yards (on 12 carries) for 121 yards from scrimmage, more than his first 14 NFL appearances combined.

"I think us going up-tempo today and going no-huddle offense created a lot of confusion for the defense," said receiver Parris Campbell, who had seven receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. "It was just us being where we were supposed to be at the right time. Everybody was just on the same page.

"Honestly, this week of practice, the way we prepared and the way we were executing in practice, we were confident in the plan today. It just worked out in our favor."

In the end, it was standout rookie receiver Alec Pierce who won the game.

With the Colts trailing 27-26 with less than a minute left, with a third-and-13 from the Jaguars' 32, Indy went aggressive, electing not to run the ball and settle for a long field goal. Pierce, Indy's second-round pick, won a one-on-one matchup with Jaguars veteran cornerback Shaquill Griffin down the right sideline and hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass that sent the home crowd into hysteria. A successful two-point conversion by Phillip Lindsay pushed the Colts lead to 34-27.

The Jaguars got the ball back, but could do nothing with a long field and just 11 seconds left.

"That's my favorite part of football, when I'm one-on-one," said Pierce, who had three receptions for 49 yards and the score.

Early on, a Colts run defense known to be stout (entered Week 6 ranked second in rushing yards allowed per play and fourth in total run defense) was being humiliated on the ground. The Jaguars had 150 first-half rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13.6 yards per carry. Jacksonville's JaMycal Hasty and Travis Etienne Jr. had rushes of 61 of 48 yards, respectively. The dominance in the run game led to a 14-3 Jaguars advantage by early in the second quarter.

But Jacksonville's execution shortcomings offensively and costly penalties on defense brought Indianapolis back into the game.

Jaguars rookie outside linebacker Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick, was called for roughing the passer on third and long with eight minutes left in the third period, giving the Colts a first down and sparking a touchdown drive that cut Jacksonville's lead to 21-19.

On the Jaguars' ensuing possession, they failed to convert on fourth-and-1 at the Colts' 32 with a questionable play call: a wide-right option play, in which Lawrence pitched the ball to Etienne. The 2021 first-round pick was stuffed by Colts linebacker E.J. Speed.

And later, in the fourth quarter with the Colts deep in Jaguars territory, Griffin was called for defensive pass interference, which gave Indy the ball in goal-to-go territory. The Colts turned that into their first lead of the game at 26-21, thanks to a touchdown by Woods.

In the end, it came down to the Colts' offense, which was flailing the first five games of the season, delivering the knockout punch. On the game-winning drive, Indianapolis went 3-for-3 on third down — with completions to Pittman, Pittman again and Pierce, who scored the touchdown.

The Colts converted on their final seven third downs, and they went 10-of-15 overall.

"The defense had held us up for five weeks, so it was about damn time we went out there and did it," Colts center Ryan Kelly told The Athletic.

All it took was a 37-year-old QB playing fast.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.