JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Coming off consecutive lopsided losses, the Jacksonville Jaguars talked all week about needing a spark.
Scobee's 59-yard field goal on the final play gave the Jaguars a 31-28 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Scobee watched it clear the crossbar, then ripped off his helmet and started running toward the opposite end zone. His teammates finally caught up with him near the sideline, setting off a raucous celebration for a team desperate for a victory against its biggest rival.
It was the longest field goal in franchise history. Maybe the biggest, too.
The Jaguars (2-2) rebounded from back-to-back, 25-point losses – the worst consecutive setbacks in team history – and handed the six-time defending AFC South champion Colts (2-2) their second division loss.
Peyton Manning was solid at usual, throwing for 352 yards and two touchdowns, but his receivers let the team down in this one.
Tight end Brody Eldridge dropped a pass near the goal line in the third quarter. Anthony Smith made a shoelace grab on the ball and returned it near midfield. David Garrard found Marcedes Lewis over the middle for a 15-yard TD pass a few plays later, putting Jacksonville ahead 21-14.
Reggie Wayne, who finished with a career-high 15 receptions for 196 yards, fumbled inside the 10-yard line on the ensuing drive.
Those turnovers were the difference, even though Manning tied the game at 28 with 48 seconds remaining. He hooked up with Dallas Clark on a fourth-and-10 play, then found Wayne streaking down the sideline for 42 yards. A few inches from the goal line, Manning hit Austin Collie for a 1-yard pass, and the extra point tied it up.
The Jaguars appeared content to run out the clock and go to overtime, but when the Colts called timeout, coach Jack Del Rio changed his mind and took some shots through the air.
Garrard, booed last week and benched the week before, found Tiquan Underwood on a 22-yard pattern that put Jacksonville in range for a long field goal.
Underwood may have played as important a role as Scobee, and not because of that reception. Garrard dropped back on the next play, and under heavy pressure, floated a ball to the far sideline. Kelvin Hayden broke on it and had nothing but green grass in front of him, but Underwood made a nice play to swat it out of his hands at the last second.
Del Rio then sent Scobee on for the long one.
After a timeout to ice him, Scobee drilled it. He has three game-winning kicks against the Colts. He also had a 51-yarder with 4 seconds left in 2008 and a 53-yarder with 38 ticks remaining in 2004.
Garrard completed 17 of 22 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a 25-yard score on an option play in the first quarter, scoring not too far from where there had been a sign saying, "Trade for Tebow."
The Jaguars clearly revamped their offensive attack following back-to-back drubbings against San Diego and Philadelphia. Garrard threw five interceptions and was sacked nine times in consecutive 25-point losses that were the worst in franchise history.
In hopes of preventing more costly errors, Garrard used a lot of two- and three-step drops against Indianapolis – getting the ball out quickly and not even trying to throw deep. Jacksonville also lined up offensive tackle Jordan Black as a tight end, using him to help on defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
Garrard rarely got touched and didn't get sacked for the first time this season.
It helped that Maurice Jones-Drew kept the Colts off balance with 105 yards on the ground.
Jones-Drew got his first touchdown of the season, plunging across the line from a yard out to put the Jaguars ahead 14-7 in the second quarter. He did a jig in the end zone, then blew kisses to fans.
Manning answered with the second of three 11-play scoring drives, this one ending on a quick slant to Clark.
Manning picked apart Jacksonville's secondary – no surprise since every other quarterback has done the same this season – but fell to 14-5 all time against the Jaguars.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.