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Colts fall short despite home crowd

By Mike Beas
First Posted: September 23, 2012 - 10:45 pm
Last Updated: September 23, 2012 - 10:46 pm

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Indianapolis Colts fans celebrate during the 1st half against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. STAFF PHOTO BY SCOTT ROBERSON/sroberson@dailyjournal.net

INDIANAPOLIS

One play. Eighty yards. Eleven seconds.

Put it together, and you have the unanticipated lightning bolt responsible for the long faces inside the Indianapolis Colts locker room late Sunday afternoon.

Staring at 80 yards of green and fairly long odds, Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert delivered a touchdown pass to receiver Cecil Shorts III on first down with only 45 seconds remaining for a shocking 22-17 Jaguars’ victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It was Shorts’ lone catch of the game, and only his fifth this season. But it was enough to drop the Colts’ record to 1-2 entering the team’s bye week.

The Colts’s next game is Oct. 7 against the visiting Green Bay Packers.

Disappointed Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano self-absorbed a good portion of his team’s second-half inadequacies, more than once stating, “That’s on me” at his postgame press conference.

“Credit Jacksonville for hanging tough and making the play. They made one, and we didn’t,” Pagano said. “Hindsight is always 20/20, but we had some guys in there that don’t normally play at those positions.

“(Jacksonville) made one heck of a play.”

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