Jaguars vs. Colts: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The absence of injured quarterback Andrew Luck put the Indianapolis Colts in a tough AFC South battle on Sunday with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Veteran signal-caller Matt Hasselbeck filled in for Luck and did well enough for Indianapolis to grind out a 16-13 overtime victory as the Colts were in survival mode and succeeded for a second game in a row.

Adam Vinatieri booted a 27-yard kick through the uprights in overtime after Hasselbeck found tight end Coby Fleener for a 28-yard gain and Frank Gore scampered for a 22-yard burst to put the Colts in position for the win. Vinatieri's counterpart, Jason Myers, missed two potential game-winning attempts for Jacksonville, one at the end of the fourth quarter and one in overtime.

"No one said it was going to be easy. We'll take a win any way we can get them," said Colts coach Chuck Pagano afterwards, per Fox 59's Charly Arnolt. Pagano added, "When you go through struggles, you got to get up."

And that's precisely what Indianapolis did in protecting its home turf. Experience certainly played a part in saving the Colts on Sunday, as ESPN's Jason Romano hinted:   

Ugly as it's been for Indy at times this season, the Colts are now 2-2 and 2-0 in the division. Luck has carried the franchise amid his fourth year under center; Hasselbeck wasn't done any favors on Sunday and was counted on to carry the offense.

The aging Gore spearheaded the nonexistent Indianapolis running game, but he fumbled inside the 5-yard line in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 13, putting the Colts in danger of falling victim to an upset. NFL Network's Rich Eisen noted a discouraging trend for the 32-year-old running back:

Hasselbeck threw the ball 47 times and completed 30 passes for 282 yards yards and a score. NFL Network provided context to supplement the significance of the 40-year-old's start under center—his first since 2012:

Not particularly known for his mobility as Luck has come to be, Hasselbeck did well to rally his team from a 10-3 deficit in the second quarter, improvising and finding Fleener for a two-yard touchdown:

The two teams traded field goals in the first quarter, and Hasselbeck's TD toss was a response to Jacksonville's trip to the end zone at the 11:37 mark of the second quarter.

Four plays after a fumble by Indianapolis running back Josh Robinson, Jaguars QB Blake Bortles—who threw for 298 yards on 50 attempts for the afternoon—hit Allen Hurns on an eight-yard scoring strike by extending the play with his legs. Hurns wound up with a game-high 11 receptions and 116 yards.

A 14-play, 65-yard march culminated in a field goal on the Jaguars' last first-half possession to make the score 13-10. Vinatieri's 32-yard FG knotted the score with 12:26 left in the game.

Colts assistant communications director Matt Conti highlighted the history Vinatieri made even before his late heroics:

Colts star cornerback Vontae Davis was hit with a critical pass-interference penalty on a late third down to keep the Jags' possession alive. Bortles and Co. couldn't cash in on the golden opportunity, botching the snap on the next play from the Indianapolis 40 and failing to generate points.

But Myers had a chance to win it for Jacksonville with a 53-yard field-goal attempt in the final moments of regulation, largely thanks to a 14-yard Bortles scramble. The kick missed wide right, forcing the Jags into overtime on the road.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora noted how Myers had a practice shot at the winning kick—yet still didn't execute:

Taking the ball to start the extra period, Jacksonville running back T.J. Yeldon ripped off a 36-yard run to get the Jags on the verge of field-goal range at the Indy 44. Fortunately for the home fans, that drive stalled.

All the close calls with defeat left the Colts feeling rather nervous:

On Jacksonville's second overtime possession, the opportunity was there for Myers to again win it from 48 yards out. This kick faded to the left, providing the Colts with good enough field position to proceed on the victorious scoring drive.

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal was critical of the Jags' late play-calling:

Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz poked a bit of fun at Myers and former Jags kicker Josh Scobee, who had struggles finding his form with the Pittsburgh Steelers before being cut over the weekend:

Although the Colts have to go on the road in Week 5, they get a favorable matchup against the Houston Texans, who are coming off a blowout 48-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and are unsettled at the quarterback position. Even a thin Indianapolis secondary should thrive against either Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallett.

IndyStar.com's Zak Keefer added a notable anecdote in that vein:

Most important for the Colts is to get Luck back from his right-throwing-shoulder injury as soon as possible. Hasselbeck ought to be well off enough to run Indy's offense against Houston, though.

There's a strong chance Indianapolis could suddenly creep above .500 and out to a prohibitive command in the AFC South. It just goes to show the lack of quality teams that occupy the division.

Jacksonville is showing improvement but must begin to produce wins if the current regime is meant to remain in place. In a battle of two of the more putrid NFL franchises in recent years, the Jags travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers in Week 5.

Postgame Reaction

The talk from the Colts' locker room after the victory centered around the veteran quarterback and kicker who stepped up with the game on the line.

Vinatieri commented on the win, per ESPN.com: "We kind of hugged it out for a second. He (Hasselbeck) does a great job. Watching him have the opportunity to go out there—hate saying `at his age' because he's younger than I am—but I know he wanted that."

Despite his age and experience, Hasselbeck was emotional after the game, per ESPN.com: "I cherish it. I never get emotional over anything, really. I got a little emotional running off the field. It was really special. I didn't even expect to play."

Things took on more of a what-could-have-been tone for the Jaguars following the disheartening loss. Coach Gus Bradley discussed his team's mindset, per Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times Union:

"

It’s hard because if we make one of the field goals [Jason Myers missed], we’re talking about the tremendous effort, the competitiveness, getting turnovers, scoring off a sudden change — the things that led us to a win. But we’re not quite there and not doing enough of the good things consistently yet to get us over the hump.

"

Close losses are always difficult to get over, but the Jaguars at least have plenty to build on after the near victory.