The Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars deliver a thrilling divisional duel, especially in the closing stages. The decision came in the final minute when Matt Ryan caught the Jaguars defence on the wrong foot.

Indianapolis – A very good Matt Ryan led his Indianapolis Colts to a 34:27 (13:14) victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in a divisional duel.

Without the two top running backs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, almost everything went through quarterback Ryan, who set a new franchise record with 42 completions. In the process, he threw three touchdown passes and gained 389 yards.

His counterpart Trevor Lawrence also had a mediocre performance, running for two touchdowns and 189 passing yards.

Trevor Lawrence with first touchdown

Trevor Lawrence gave the Jaguars the lead with a one-yard quarterback sneak just before the end of the first quarter. Colts kicker Chase McLaughlin put his team on the scoreboard for the first time with a 28-yard field goal in the second quarter before running back JaMycal Hasty extended Jacksonville’s lead with a 61-yard run.

Just before the halftime break, the Colts found their way into the end zone for the first time when Parris Campbell carried a Ryan pass four yards for a touchdown. McLaughlin set up another 42-yard field goal for the home side to close out the first half. The visitors from Jacksonville went into the dressing room with a 14:13 lead.

Division duel without turnovers

The second half started like the first with a short Lawrence run into the Colts end zone. Then the Colts finally flashed their running game when running back Deon Jackson ran into the end zone from three yards out. However, the subsequent attempt at a two-point conversion failed, leaving the Jaguars with a 21-19 lead.

In the final quarter, the Colts took the lead for the first time in a game in which there was not a single turnover. Jelani Woods caught a ten-yard pass from Ryan for a touchdown. The complaints of the Jaguars defence about an alleged offensive pass interference by Woods went unheard by the referees.

Matt Ryan surprises Jaguars defense with big play

Trevor Lawrence was not deterred. His pass for four yards with less than three minutes left was caught by Christian Kirk to give the Jaguars the lead again. But Ryan had the last word in the exchange of quarterbacks. The 37-year-old led his team into field-goal distance on the final drive and shocked the Jaguars with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 17 seconds left.

With the win, the Colts (record: 3-2-1) have created a small buffer on the Jacksonville Jaguars (record: 2-3). The Colts face the Tennessee Titans next Sunday in the next divisional duel, while the Jaguars host the New York Giants.