NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jags Beat Colts on Scobee's Walk-Off Field Goal

Josh Scobee(10) runs around the field after his game-winning 59-yard field goal.

In Week 4 of the 2010 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts traveled to Florida to take on their division rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars in a key early season showdown when it came to who would win the AFC South division that year.

The Colts came into the game with a 2-1 record under second-year head coach Jim Caldwell who was hoping to lead Indianapolis back to the Super Bowl as nine months earlier the Colts fell to the New Orleans Saints 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV.

The Colts still had quarterback Peyton Manning at quarterback, who had led Indianapolis to eight straight playoff appearances including six division titles and a win in Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, with his top targets being wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark who were both coming off 100 catch seasons in 2009.

On the other side were the Jaguars who came into the game with a 1-2 record having suffered back-to-back 25-point losses as Jacksonville looked to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Jacksonville was led by head coach Jack Del Rio, who has in his eighth season as the Jaguars' head coach, as the Jags' offense was led by quarterback David Garrard and running back Maurice Jones-Drew, which had struggled up to this point in the season as it averaged just 13.3 points per game through the first three games of the season.

However, the Jaguars had great confidence that they could move the ball against the Colts as Jones-Drew had rushed over for 100 yards four times against Indianapolis since his rookie season back in 2006.

The Colts would get great field position to start the game as Dante Moore returned the opening kickoff 33 yards to the Indianapolis 41-yard-line as Manning would complete all six of his passes for 43 yards on a 11-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Joseph Addai to give Indy a 7-0 lead.

The Jaguars would begin their opening possession of the game with five straight carries by Jones-Drew for 26 yards before Garrard completed two passes in a row with the second pass going for 21 yards to wide receiver Mike Thomas as the nine-play, 76-yard drive would end with a 25-yard touchdown run by Garrard to tie the score at seven with 3:39 left in the first quarter.

Following an Indianapolis three-and-out, the Jaguars would get the ball at the Colts' 45-yard-line as Jacksonville would run the ball on seven consecutive plays with Jones-Drew getting most of the work as he carried the ball six times for 26 yards including an one-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 14-7 lead with 13:40 to go in the second quarter.

The Colts would respond on the right arm of Manning whose favorite target on this drive would be Wayne as he would catch four passes for 53 yards on the 11-play, 85-yard drive that was capped off with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Clark to make it 14-14 midway through the second quarter.

Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne caught a team record 15 passes for 196 yards and scored one touchdown.

Neither team would score again before the end of the first half as the Jaguars would get the ball to start the second half only to punt the ball back to the Colts who would take over at their 31-yard as Manning would complete four of his next five passes for 37 yards to move Indianapolis to the Jacksonville 23-yard-line as the Colts seemed poised to retake the lead.

However, Manning would throw an interception as his pass bounced off the hands of tight end Brady Elleridge and into the hands of Jaguars defensive back Anthony Smith, whose 47-yard return would give Jacksonville the ball at the Indianapolis 49-yard-line.

It would take the Jaguars seven plays to get into the end zone as Garrard fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mercedes Lewis to give Jacksonville a 21-14 lead with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

The Colts would start their next drive at their 26-yard-line as Manning would complete his next five passes for 35 yards to move Indianapolis to the Jacksonville 19-yard-line until a quarterback sack by Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey for a four-yard loss would bring up a 2nd & 14 situation when the Colts would commit their second turnover of the game.

Manning would complete a 13-yard pass to Wayne, who while stretching to get the 1st down, lost the football as Jaguars free safety Gerald Alexander would scoop up the fumble and run it 43 yards to the Indianapolis 47-yard-line.

The Jaguars would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Colts who would take over at their four-yard-line when Wayne would begin his atonement for the fumble on the previous drive.

Wayne would catch a 21-yard pass from Manning to start the drive which was followed by a 13-yard reception to move Indianapolis to its 38-yard-line as passes to Collie for 12 yards and Clark for 15 yards would bring the Colts to the Jaguars' 35-yard-line.

From there, Wayne would catch back-to-back passes totaling 29 yards as the Colts advanced to the Jacksonville six-yard-line where Addai would carry the ball for four yards then carry it for the two-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 21 with 7:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.

A 39-yard return by Tiquan Underwood would give the Jaguars great field position for their ensuing possession which began at their 43-yard-line as two straight running plays picked up six yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Underwood caught a 13-yard pass from Garrard that with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Colts cornerback Jacob Lacey gave Jacksonville a 1st down at the Indianapolis 23-yard-line.

Five plays later, Garrard would hit Jones-Drew on an eight-yard touchdown pass to give the Jaguars a 28-21 lead with 2:09 left in regulation which for Jacksonville was an eternity considering the quarterback on the other team.

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 105 yards on 26 carries.

After a 39-yard return by Justin Tryon on the ensuing kickoff gave the Colts the ball at their 35-yard-line, Manning would throw three straight incomplete passes as Indianapolis would face a do-or-die 4th & 10 situation when Manning hit Clark for 16 yards to give the Colts a fresh set of downs at the Jacksonville 49-yard-line.

On the next play from scrimmage, Manning would throw deep as he completed a 42-yard pass to Wayne to give the Colts a 1st & goal at the Jacksonville seven-yard-line as incomplete pass followed by a six-yard run by Addai would set up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Manning found Collie in the end zone for the touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 28 with 48 seconds left in regulation.

Taking over at their 23-yard-line, the Jaguars seemed content to send the game into overtime as Garrard would hand the ball off to Jones-Drew who ran for eight yards when Caldwell decided to call timeout with 36 seconds left as it looked like the Colts were trying to save as much time as possible for Manning to lead Indianapolis to a game-winning score in the final seconds.

The Jaguars would then go to the air on the next play from scrimmage as Garrard would throw an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 2 when Garrard connected with Underwood for six yards to give Jacksonville a 1st down at their 37-yard-line.

Garrard would then find Underwood again, this time for 22 yards as Tiquan would go out of bounds at the Colts' 41-yard-line with 11 seconds to go as one more completion would put the Jaguars in range for a game-winning field goal.

That is when the Jaguars averted disaster as Garrard, under pressure from an Indianapolis pass rush, lofted a pass that looked like it was going to be intercepted by Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden, only for Underwood to knock him down from behind while Hayden had his hands on the ball which resulted in an incompletion with five seconds left.

Del Rio decided to send in the field goal unit as Scobee would attempt a 59-yard field goal despite the fact that his career long was 53 yards which he had done three times up to this point in his career.

But Scobee's kick would easily split through the uprights as time expired as his team-record 59-yard field goal gave the Jaguars a 31-28 win over the Colts.

Jacksonville's win over the Colts would not be the only time the Jaguars had an exciting win on the final play of the game in 2010 as six weeks later the Jags would beat the Houston Texans 31-24 on Garrard's 50-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown pass to Mike Thomas(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-jaguars.html).

However, the Jaguars would not make the playoffs as a 34-24 loss to the Colts in a Week 15 rematch would start a three-game losing streak for Jacksonville as the Jags would finish the season with a 8-8 record while the Colts would go on to win the AFC South with a 10-6 record in what would be their final playoff appearance with Manning as the quarterback.

As for Scobee, he would remain with the Jaguars for four more seasons until he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers right before the 2015 season began as two missed final goals in the final minutes of the Steelers' 23-20 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens would result in Scobee's release from the team as he would not kick for another team in the NFL.

Scobee's record of the longest field goal in Jaguars history would last until 2025 when Cam Little obliterated the record with a 68-yard field goal in a 30-29 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jaguars Knock off Texans with Hail Mary Touchdown

 

Mike Thomas is hoisted onto the shoulders of some Jaguars players following his game-winning touchdown catch against the Texans in 2010.

Standing at 5 foot 8 inches, wide receiver Mike Thomas was the smallest player on the 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars roster.

However, Thomas would be a part of probably the biggest play in Jaguars history when Jacksonville hosted the Houston Texans in week 10 of the 2010 NFL season.

The Jaguars entered the game with a 4-4 record as the team was hoping to return to the playoffs after missing the postseason the previous two seasons.

The Jaguars were led by head coach Jack Del Rio, who was in his eighth season as Jacksonville's head coach with an offense led by quarterback David Garrard and running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Thomas, having caught 48 passes for 453 yards in his rookie season in 2009, had worked his way into the Jags' starting lineup as they prepared to host their division rivals, the Texans.

The Texans also came into the game with a 4-4 record as they were looking for their first trip to the postseason since the franchise's inception back in 2002.

Houston was led by head coach Gary Kubiak, who had directed the Texans to their first winning season with a 9-7 record in 2009, and featured a high-powered offense led by quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster, and all-pro wide receiver Andre Johnson.

However, the Texans had one of the worst defenses in the league which had given up 28.25 points pre game up to this point in the season.

If the Texans were going to beat the Jaguars, they would need their defense to play better.

The Jaguars got the ball to start the game as they were able to drive from their 28-yard-line to the Houston 11-yard-line until Garrard was sacked by Texans defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson for a nine-yard-loss on 3rd & 10, forcing Jacksonville to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Josh Scobee to give Jacksonville a 3-0 lead.

The Texans would begin their initial possession of the game at their 25-yard-line as Schaub came out firing completing his first four passes for 53 yards to lead the Houston offense to the Jacksonville 20-yard-line when Foster carried the ball for 14 yards to set up 1st & goal at the Jaguars' six-yard-line.

However, the Texans would not pick up another yard as a run by Foster was stopped for no gain and two incomplete passes would force Houston to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Neil Rackers to tie the game at 3.

Both teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter when the Jaguars had the ball at their 48-yard-line when Jones-Drew made his presence felt as he carried the ball on eight of the nine plays for 37 yards on the 52-yard drive that culminated with MJD punching it in for a three-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 10-3 lead with 5:32 left in the second quarter.

The Jaguars' defense would hold the Texans to a punt to get their offense the ball back at their 45-yard-line with 1:51 left before halftime when Jones-Drew picked up where he left off as ran the ball twice, gaining 10 yards and a 1st down at the Houston 45-yard-line.

That is when Garrard found tight end Mercedes Lewis for a five-yard completion, then connected with Thomas for 13 yards, and then with MJD for nine yards which became 18 yards when Texans defensive back Troy Nolan was flagged for a late hit to give the Jaguars a 1st & goal at the Houston nine-yard-line.

Jones-Drew would then run up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown to extend the Jaguars' lead to 17-3 with 38 seconds left before halftime.

The Texans would not be able to put together a drive to pick up some points before halftime as Houston went into the locker room trailing 17-3 but set to get the ball to start the second half.

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 24 times for 100 yards and scored two TDs.

On the first offensive snap of the second half, Foster caught a screen pass from Schaub and turned into a 77-yard gain to apparently give Houston a 1st & goal at the Jaguars' three-yard-line, only to have it wiped out because of a pass interference call on Johnson which pushed the Texans back 10 yards to their 10-yard-line.

Johnson would make up for the penalty as he caught a 21-yard pass on 1st & 20 to give Houston a 1st down at its 31-yard-line then had a 60-yard catch to give the Texans a 1st & goal at the Jaguars' six-yard-line.

Foster would carry the ball on the next three plays with the last carry being an one-yard touchdown to cut the Jacksonville lead in half to 17-10 with 11:19 left in the third quarter.

After forcing the Jaguars to punt on their first possession of the second half, the Texans would drive 80 yards in eight plays as Schaub would go a perfect 4-for-4 on the drive for 59 yards with the last completion being an nine-yard touchdown to Johnson that with the extra point tied the game at 17 with 5:10 left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Garrard would complete his next five passes for 64 yards to lead Jacksonville to the Houston 21-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end with Jacksonville on the verge of retaking the lead with a field goal.

However, Scobee's 39-yard field goal attempt would sail wide right and no good to keep the score tied at 17 as the fourth quarter got underway.

The Jaguars defense would force a Houston punt to give their offense the ball back at their 13-yard-line as Jacksonville drove to its 43-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 1 situation when Del Rio decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Garrard ran for five yards.

On the very next play, Garrard would throw deep and hit tight end Zach Miller for a 52-yard touchdown to give the Jaguars a 24-17 lead with 6:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Texans would begin its next drive at its 20-yard-line as Schaub connected with Johnson for 19 yards to start the drive then after two straight running plays picked up nine yards, Schaub tried to hit Johnson on a deep pass that fell incomplete but drew a pass interference penalty on Jaguars cornerback Rashaun Mathis to give the Texans a 1st down at the Jacksonville 30-yard-line,

Following a 12-yard run by Foster, the Texans had a 18-yard touchdown pass from Schaub to Johnson wiped out by offsetting penalties only to have Schaub hit Kevin Walter for a 18-yard touchdown on the very next play that with the extra point made it 24-24 with 4:19 left in regulation.

The Jaguars would start its next possession at their 20-yard-line as Garrard connected with Lewis for 13 yards on 1st down which was followed by a 20-yard run by Thomas on a reverse to put Jacksonville in Houston territory at the Texans' 47-yard-line.

A three-yard run by MJD followed by a 14-yard pass from Garrard to Thomas gave the Jaguars a 1st down at the Houston 30-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

David Garrard completed 24 of 31 passes for 342 yards plus ran for 35 yards on seven carries.

The next play had Jones-Drew running for two yards to make it 2nd & 8 when MJD appeared to have given the Jaguars a 1st down with an eight-yard run only to have it nullified because of a holding penalty which pushed Jacksonville back 10 yards to the Houston 38-yard-line where it faced 2nd & 18.

A six-yard pass from Garrard to Lewis followed by a seven-yard run by Jones-Drew would put the Jaguars at the Texans' 25-yard-line when Scobee was called upon to attempt a 43-yard field goal which would give Jacksonville the lead.

But once again Scobee would miss the field goal as his kick sailed wide left to give the ball to the Texans at their 33-yard-line with 94 seconds left in regulation to try and drive down into field goal range for Rackers.

Schaub would hit Foster for four yards, then scrambled for eight yards to pick up a 1st down at the Houston 45-yard-line as Schaub would complete back-to-back passes totaling 15 yards before he spiked the ball at the Jacksonville 40-yard-line with 22 seconds left in regulation.

A false start penalty and an incomplete pass would bring up 3rd & 15 when Schaub found tight end Joel Dressen for a seven-yard gain only to have Jaguars free safety Sean Considine knock the ball loose leading to a fumble recovery by linebacker Justin Durant to give Jacksonville the ball at its 34-yard-line with eight seconds left in regulation.

Garrard would complete a 11-yard pass to Lewis who went out of bounds to stop the clock with three seconds left as the Jaguars set up to throw a Hail Mary before the end of regulation.

Texans defensive end Antonio Smith jumped offsides to move the Jaguars five yards forward to the 50-yard-line when Garrard took the snap and heaved a pass toward the left side of the field.

As the ball was coming down near the goal line, Texans cornerback Glover Quin jumped up to knock the ball down, only to have the deflection land in the hands of Thomas, who caught the ball half a yard of the end zone, then stepped into the end zone to complete the shocking 50-yard touchdown.

Following a wild celebration which drew an unsportsmanlike penalty, Scobee came on to kick the extra point to complete the 31-24 victory for the Jaguars.

The Texans never recovered from the loss as they would win only two more games to finish the season with a 6-10 record despite the fact that Foster would win the league's rushing title as he finished with 1,616 yards.

The combination of new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and the selection of defensive end J.J. Watt with their first round pick would change the fortunes of the Texans as their defense would propel Houston to the playoffs the following season.

As for the Jaguars, they would finish the season with a 8-8 record as they lost their last three games of the season including a 34-17 loss to the Texans in the final week of the season to miss the playoffs again.

Thomas would remain with the Jaguars for one more season before being traded to the Detroit Lions for a fifth-round draft pick midway through the 2012 season where he only caught five passes for 28 yards before bouncing around the league for the next few seasons before ultimately retiring from the NFL after the 2015 season.