The Indianapolis Colts became the latest team to hammer the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, winning 27-10 on Thursday thanks chiefly to two rushing touchdowns from rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.
Darius Butler returned an interception for a score as the Colts (6-3) won their fourth consecutive game and snapped a three-game losing streak against Jacksonville. The Jaguars (1-8) have lost six straight.
The Colts had cause for concern following an emotional victory four days earlier, one in which cancer-stricken coach Chuck Pagano delivered a passionate, post-game speech in the locker room.
Photo: AFP
Interim coach Bruce Arians was worried the team might crash from the emotional high, but they stayed up.
Indianapolis scored on three consecutive possessions in the first half, opening a 17-0 lead that started emptying the stands at EverBank Field.
Luck, coming off an NFL rookie record 433 yards passing against Miami, was not quite as sharp. He did not need to be, either.
Luck completed 18 of 26 passes for 227 yards, with an interception and a fumble. However, he was unstoppable near the end zone, deking defenders with two pump fakes and scrambling for a five-yard score on one drive and then plunging across the goal line on fourth down on the next possession.
That was plenty against the Jaguars, who have the league’s worst offense and played a third game without star running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
Blaine Gabbert hit Cecil Shorts III for an 80-yard touchdown in the final minute to provide small consolation for the home team.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
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