By Jeff Yoder, Sports Co-Editor
The good news is the NFL referee lockout ended on Sept. 26.
The bad news is the Colts' game, unlike the Packers' game, was blown in the final minute by the defense and not the officials.
The Colts outplayed the Jacksonville Jaguars for 59 minutes of Sunday's 60-minute division matchup, but fell to the Jaguars 22-17 in heartbreaking fashion.
The Colts looked impressive in the first half as they held Jacksonville to a field goal on the opening drive and nothing more the rest of the half. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck answered immediately, going three for three and capping a six-play drive with a 40-yard touchdown to wide receiver Ty Hilton. Luck and the Colts put up another touchdown on a 4-yard strike to Mewelde Moore with 42 seconds remaining in the half. A 14-3 halftime lead and an efficient Andrew Luck had Colts fans optimistic. Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew went untouched on a 59-yard touchdown on the Jaguars' first play of the second half. Two field goals by Josh Scobee during the next two quarters gave them a 16-14 lead over Indianapolis. Colts' kicker Adam Vinatieri pushed a 36-yard field goal wide left with 4:45 left in the fourth. After getting a pair of defensive stops, the Colts got Vinatieri another look. This time, he nailed a 37-yard field goal to give the Colts a 17-16 advantage with 1:01 left in regulation. Fans in Lucas Oil Stadium let out a sigh of relief as 56 seconds remained, and the Colts were on their way to a 2-1 record. The second win would tie the number of wins they had in all 2011. The game felt like it was over. Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert had completed nine of his 20 passes for just 75 yards through 59 minutes. The Jaguars needed to go 80 yards in 56 seconds. They did it in 12. Gabbert's first pass of the drive was a strike on a post route to second-year receiver Cecil Shorts III who sprinted for an 80-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 22-17 edge. "It was actually the perfect play call for the coverage they ran," Shorts said. "Blaine (Gabbert) just did a great job throwing the ball. He should get the credit." In just a dozen seconds, Indy's euphoria was replaced with disappointment. The Colts got one last possession and moved the ball to the Jacksonville 26-yard line with only 7 seconds on the clock. Back-to-back jump balls in the end zone intended for Reggie Wayne were batted down as the Jaguars walked away with a 22-17 victory. Apart from Shorts' big catch, the Jaguars' passing attack was insignificant most of the game. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew stole the show and rushed for 177 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown. The Colts' first round draft choice Andrew Luck was impressive, but still made some rookie decisions. He completed just 22 of his 46 passes, totaling 318 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Colts' receiver Reggie Wayne caught eight of those passes for 88 yards. A humble Luck took the blame after the game. "I point the finger at myself," Luck said. "I made some bad decisions, throwing the ball straight to the mike linebacker. A couple passes that were behind guys on third downs that would have kept drives going." The Colts fall to 1-2 heading into their bye week and will face Green Bay in Week 5. Jacksonville is also 1-2 as they travel back to Florida to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 30.
