Missed opportunities and a poor overall offensive showing had many of the Jacksonville Jaguars faithful fearing for another loss against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but a stunning 80-yard reception by Jags receiver Cecil Shorts III gave Jacksonville the 22-17 victory.
Over at Big Cat Country, the guys were just as shocked to see the game come down to that play as fans likely were, especially after the offense had been unable to capitalize all game.
While the Jaguars started the game with a strong opening drive, they were forced to settle for a Josh Scobee 44-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. It was all Andrew Luck and the Colts for the remainder of the first half, though, hitting two touchdown passes to take a 14-3 lead just before halftime.
Defense kept the Jaguars in the game, but the passing offense just wasn't there, which made Shorts' reception all the more surprising.
Strong defense continued to help Jacksonville, but the passing offense of the Jaguars struggled all game and they were forced to settle for two more Scobee field goals.
When the offense was unable to move the ball, they afforded the Colts the opportunity to take the lead, but then [the reception] happened.
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert's performance was not praised by the blog, but the overall impact of the final play was clear, giving the game a much more positive takeaway than it otherwise might have had.
While Gabbert struggled again, completing just nine passes for 75 yards on his first 20 attempts before the 80-yard touchdown bolstered his stats, Jones-Drew picked up the slack in the victory, finishing with 177 yards rushing on 28 carries.
For more coverage from the Jaguars' victory, head over to Big Cat Country.