JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Zac from Austin, Tejas
"What's wrong with the jags. They're 1-0?"
I received many emails saying essentially this in the wake of the Jaguars' 31-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 regular-season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Sunday. The Jaguars scored four touchdowns and their 31 points were their most ever at Lucas Oil. The defense allowed two touchdowns, registered four sacks and had three takeaways. The Jaguars dominated the second half, allowing 27 yards after an early third-quarter touchdown before a late drive when they were protecting a double-digit lead. They won on the road in the division. I said often following last season that the good feeling of winning the AFC South title would only last so long – and that we were now at the stage where victories would be criticized. Fans are now criticizing double-digit road victories. Welcome to next stage.
MrMakersMark from Sec 408 Row A #17
Mario, it seems these unnecessary roughness penalties are just coincidence and football. Then the announcers on this channel defend the call and don't question if it was a necessary flag. I like the announcers that will question the referees. Hopefully that will relay to the higher-ups. Yes, safety first, but it is football.
I don't know or care all that much what announcers do or don't question. I presume this email refers to an unnecessary roughness penalty in the third quarter Sunday on Jaguars inside linebacker Devin Lloyd and not an unnecessary roughness penalty on Jaguars safety Andre Cisco in the second quarter. It seemed at first glance that the Lloyd penalty was a tough call while the Cisco penalty looked more obvious. I'll look more closely when I rewatch Monday. Sometimes first glances are right. Sometimes they're not.
Jami from Claxton, GA
Wow!
It was a good game.
MrDude from PVB
O, I'm sure the double fumble will be picked apart and discussed heavily this week. As I saw it, once Bigsby recovered the ball, he gave himself up. You can't advance a fumble anyway, so the ball should have been dead. Why am I wrong?
You're referencing a bizarre play in the third quarter that ended with Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner scoring on a 26-yard fumble return. Buckner sacked quarterback Trevor Lawrence on the play, resulting in Lawrence fumbling. Rookie running back Tank Bigsby caught the fumble and relaxed believing Lawrence had thrown incomplete. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin slapped the ball from Bigsby, with Buckner recovering and scoring. Bigsby wasn't on the ground and therefore wasn't giving himself up. The offense can advance a fumble if it's not in the final two minutes of the half. It was just a weird play that went the Colts' way.
Michael from Middleburg
O, on the turnover and Colts TD, why when Bigsby was touched while holding the ball was it not blown dead.
He was standing.
Daniel from Geneva, Switzerland
O-man, is it too early to worry about Bigsby's fumbling habit?
Bigsby fumbled Sunday because he was holding the ball loosely because he believed the play was over. Are we really going to loop this into some trend that Bigsby has a fumbling "habit?"
Tank from HUGHESVILLE
Not quite the walkaway victory everyone expected. We almost lost. How do you coach them getting ready for next week?
You tell them they're playing the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the team that beat them in the postseason last season.
Crickets from Melbourne
Thank goodness for Jamal Agnew.
Wide receiver Jamal Agnew has made multiple momentum-changing plays in two-plus seasons with the Jaguars. His 48-yard punt return took the Jaguars from their six to the Colts 46 Sunday, setting up Bigsby's one-yard run that gave the Jaguars a 24-21 lead in the fourth quarter. It's not a surprise when Agnew makes this sort of play. It's what he does.
Tom from The Mean Streets of Nocatee
Good teams win the games that they're supposed to win.
Yep.
Scott from Atlantic Beach, FL
Wow O! You predicted this game perfectly!!!
I said throughout the week that this game would be close into the fourth quarter because of Week 1 weirdness – and that I expected the Jaguars to force quarterback Anthony Richardson into late-game mistakes that the Jaguars turned into game-clinching or game-winning points. The Colts took a 21-17 lead in the third quarter when Buckner returned the fumble for a touchdown. The Jaguars took a 24-21 lead, then cornerback Tyson Campbell intercepted Richardson to set up running back Travis Etienne Jr.'s 26-yard game-winning touchdown. This game was relatively easy to project. The Colts' defense isn't bad and Richardson is talented enough to make big plays, even though he's a rookie. The Colts kept him out of risky situations much of the game. Once he was under pressure to throw downfield late in the game, his inexperience was likely to show. It did. The Jaguars' talent and cohesion figured to benefit them late. They did. Don't ask me about Jaguars-Chiefs next Sunday. I'm not there yet.
Josh from Atlanta, GA
John, you called the game better than every other expert.
I am the king of all funk.
David from Eau Claire, WI
New Year same old bad Jaguars. Back to last in the division.
This email was sent in the second half Sunday. The Jaguars are unbeaten and in first place in the AFC South after Week 1 of the 2023 NFL regular season.
Marc from Stuttgart, Germany
O-Zone, That was a weird one..... but I'll take it! Duuuuvvvaaalll!!!
Winning is cool. People like it, even people from Germany.
PDub from PCB
KOAF
I am him. He is me.
Pete from Jax Beach
The NFL is tough, Jags were not sharp, but played well enough to win which is good enough for me!! More games like this will occur throughout the season.
Good teams can win when they play sloppy and have breaks go against them. Good teams can grind their way into good situations and take advantage of opportunities. The Jaguars were a good team Sunday.
Daniel from Geneva, Switzerland
O-man, I'm not in the complaining group of fans. An "ugly" win is still a win right?
Any NFL head coach will tell you Week 1 is the weirdest week of the season. Game planning is tough, most teams are still healthy and believing in themselves, and personnel in some cases has changed dramatically since the previous season. You don't worry how Week 1 looks. You worry about winning it. The Jaguars did this Sunday. All else is secondary.
Mark from Archer
Zone, going back to last season. It seems like the Jags have become a team that knows how to close out games and really turn it on in the fourth quarter. I am not trying to get to high but dare I say they are one of the best in that regards, if not the best.
They're getting there.
JT from Palm Coast, FL
Josh Allen was a game wrecker.
Allen, the No. 7 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, had one of the best games of his NFL career Sunday. He had three sacks and 10 tackles with two quarterback pressures. He showed up and played physical beyond his statistics. The thought here was this game was not dramatically different than many games for Allen in four previous seasons with the notable exception that a couple of sacks turned into pressures whereas in a lot of previous games such plays were sometimes near-misses and pressures. Still, such differences shape perception. Either way, it was a strong start to the season for a player who always has been good and who has the potential to be great.
Steve from Shreveport, LA
It was a great day here in Louisiana as I watched from the comfort of my own home. After 14 years of struggling to watch from sports bars, casino sports books and my moms IPad aimed at her TV in Jax, all of Jags nation can rejoice in the new Sunday Ticket. I am not alone, as there are many Jags fans across the nation who celebrate that the satellite dish is gone. What a great year to be a Jags fans. Here's to watching all 17 games this year.
One fer the ticket.
Mike from Cartersville (AKA Trevortown), GA
So all the consternation over Josh Allen and Travon Walker was overblown? It looks like Josh Allen is going to force them into difficult decisions in the offseason. Assuming he plays well all season is it possible they can find room in the cap for him?
Allen and Walker combined for four sacks Sunday, with Allen finishing with three and Walker finishing with one. It was a good start.
JT from Palm Coast
I love all sports, I'm a sports nut, but no sport makes me more unreasonable like watching our Jags. It's beautiful and tragic all at the same time. Winning in the NFL is so damn hard.
JT is all of you.
