Andrew Luck scores his second rushing touchdown of the night in Indy's 27-10 win over the Jaguars. (Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck ran for two touchdowns in the second quarter and third-team cornerback Darius Butler scored on a pass interception to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a 27-10 victory over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, in front of an announced crowd of 63,272 at EverBank Field.
The Colts (6-3) won their fourth game in a row but unlike the previous three in that streak, this one was all but over by halftime as they grabbed a 17-3 lead.
Indianapolis won the previous three games by a combined margin of 13 points since its last loss. The rout of the Jaguars (1-8) avenged a 22-17 loss in Week 3 at home. The victory also broke a three-game winning streak the Jaguars had over the Colts.
Luck completed 18-of-26 passes for 227 yards. Reggie Wayne, who has tormented the Jaguars secondary over the balance of his career, caught 11 passes for 96 yards.
Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert went 18-of-31 for 209 yards before leaving the game when he re-injured his left shoulder. Backup Chad Henne led the Jags to their only touchdown when he threw a 5-yard TD pass to Cecil Shorts, with 9:16 left in the game.
Before Gabbert left, he threw an interception to Butler, who jumped a route and cruised into the end zone.
The Colts jumped to their halftime lead thanks to Luck’s fourth and fifth rushing touchdowns of the season, from 5 yards out early in the second quarter and from the 1 on the Colts’ next possession.
Luck leads the Colts in rushing touchdowns.
Adam Vinatieri opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal in the first period. He later added another field goal in the fourth quarter.
The Jaguars moved the ball well in spurts in the first half, as Gabbert had success hitting tight end Marcedes Lewis. But the team’s first possession in Colts’ territory ended with a rare miss by kicker Josh Scobee,
whose streak of 20 consecutive field goals was broken when he pushed a 44-yard attempt to the right in the first quarter.
Scobee had made 14 in a row this season, adding to his last six made attempts in 2011, and had a streak of eight field goals in a row against the Colts.
He atoned for the miss with a 40-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in the half, ending a furious drive downfield that began when Dawan Landry intercepted Luck at the Jags’ 10.
The Jaguars lost one of their best early chances on the first play after Scobee’s miss. Aaron Ross intercepted a deep pass by Luck intended for T.Y. Hilton but the play was nullified when Jags defensive end Andre Branch was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Luck as he released the ball.
The Jaguars seemed to lose their composure late as Branch was flagged for another personal foul and wide receiver Justin Blackmon nullified a long pass from Henne to Shorts inside the Colts 5 when he hit cornerback Marshay Green from behind on an illegal blindside block.
NOTES: Jaguars veteran cornerback Rashean Mathis (groin) was listed as questionable but was among the pregame scratches. He missed his third game in a row. Already ruled out because of injury were running back Maurice Jones-Drew (foot), fullback Greg Jones (hip) and safety Dwight Lowery (ankle). The other inactives for the Jaguars were receiver Anthony Armstrong, defensive tackle Jeris Pendleton and offensive lineman Steve Vallos. The Colts’ inactives were linebacker Robert Mathis (back), cornerbacks Vontae Davis (knee) and Jerraud Powers (toe), center Samson Satele (back), offensive tackle Winston Justice (knee), tight end Coby Fleener (shoulder) and defensive end Clifton Geathers. … The Colts ended the only winning streak Gabbert has had against an NFL team. He entered the game with a 3-0 record against Indianapolis, with only one interception. … The Jaguars have lost five Thursday night games in a row. Their only Thursday win came the first time they played on that day, against Pittsburgh in 1999. … After three consecutive losses to the Jags, the Colts’ victory Thursday gave them a 16-8 record in the series. The Colts are 8-4 in Jacksonville.
