JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines five key plays from the Jaguars’ 37-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in a 2024 Week 5 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday

1. Big, big play. The Jaguars have been waiting for and needing a big play in recent weeks. They got it in the second quarter Sunday from rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who continues to be the team's most dynamic offensive player. The Jaguars, after moving consistently on their first two drives but managing just a field goal, faced first-and-10 at their 15 following a Colts punt. Thomas on first down split the Indianapolis coverage and got two steps behind the defense. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who had been effective on short and intermediate passes early Sunday, hit Thomas in stride and Thomas ran away from the defense for an 85-yard touchdown – his third touchdown reception of the season. The play gave the Jaguars a 10-7 lead with 7:02 remaining in the second quarter. Thomas' top speed of 22.15 miles per hour on the play was the fastest time by a ballcarrier in the NFL this season. "That's pretty crazy," Lawrence said with a smile. "That was fun. There's not that many guys like him. The more we can find opportunities to get him the ball in those situations, we're going to score a lot of points with him." Said Thomas, "I knew once I caught it that I would just turn the jets on, trying to get my Madden speed bumped up a little bit."

2. Strong response. The Jaguars through four games this season weren't resilient. They hardly could have been more resilient in the fourth quarter Sunday, particularly on a huge play from Lawrence and wide receiver Christian Kirk. With the Colts having trimmed the lead to 20-17 on an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to tight end Mo Alie-Cox on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Jaguars drove 70 yards on seven plays on the ensuing possession. Tight end Brenton Strange's four-yard reception from Lawrence gave them a 27-17 lead with 9:59 remaining. Key play: A 61-yard pass from Lawrence to Kirk on second-and-24 from the Jaguars 16. "We knew we had an opportunity all week," Kirk said. "It's the same play that Brian scored on. They just threw it to the other side because it's post safety. So, since it's split safety, the post is the read, so I was able to make a good move on the corner and Trevor made a great throw and we were able to hit it. Those were just those plays that we were missing early, and we were finally able to click on and it resulted in a win."

3. Taaaaaaaank. Jaguars second-year running back Tank Bigsby on Sunday continued to play impressively – and he gave the Jaguars a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. With the Jaguars leading 27-20 with just under six minutes remaining, Bigsby – who earlier scored on a 19-yard run – rolled through a huge hole and outran the Colts defense for a 65-yard touchdown. It was Bigsby's second 50-plus run in as many weeks. This one gave the Jaguars a 34-20 lead with 5:09 remaining. "When you make a big play, your mind goes blank, and your instincts take over," Bigsby said. "When those opportunities come upon, your instincts take over. But afterward, you come back to reality, and you get down, you see I'm like, 'Dang, I just scored'. I gave my mom the ball and it felt great."

4. Strip sack. The Jaguars' first takeaway of the season came at a crucial time and gave the Jaguars momentum entering halftime. The Colts, after recovering a fumble by Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis, faced second-and-10 at the Indianapolis 46 with :15 remaining in the half. Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker sacked Colts quarterback Joe Flacco, stripping the ball to force a fumble that defensive end Josh Hines-Allen returned 13 yards to the Colts 12. Jaguars rookie kicker Cam Little's 30-yard field goal on the ensuing play came with :04 remaining in the half and gave the Jaguars a 13-10 halftime lead. Walker finished Sunday with a career-high three sacks, with his 17-yard sack on the game's final play securing the victory. "I was trying to win every rep, every block, fight to do right," Walker said. "That is what coach was empathizing with us on the defensive side of the ball and that is what I was trying to do. Just fight to do right."

5. Back the other way. The Jaguars already had momentum early in the second half. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay gave them a lot more when he made his biggest play since signing with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent from the Baltimore Ravens this past offseason. After Colts safety Nick Cross intercepted Lawrence at the Colts 2 to end the Jaguars' first series of the second half, the Jaguars forced a punt that Duvernay fielded at the Jaguars 28. He weaved his way down the right sideline for a 53-yard return that gave the Jaguars a first-and-10 at the Colts 19. Bigsby ran through the middle on the ensuing play, breaking tackles on a 19-yard run that pushed the Jaguars lead to 20-10 with 7:13 remaining in the third quarter. "I just put my pads down and the rest took care of itself," Bigsby said.

6. It's good. Little converted three of three field goals Sunday, and his 49-yarder with :17 remaining marked the rookie's first game-winning field goal. The Jaguars drove 39 yards on eight plays on the series after the Colts tied the game 34-34 with their second touchdown in less than two minutes. "It's pressure, but if you know Cam like we do – like I do – he kind of embraces that," Pederson said. "It was just an excellent kick. I'm happy for him to be able to do that. It's the reason we drafted. It's the reason he's here."