Finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't let one slip away.
The team that leads the NFL in surrendered leads since 2014 pulled out a gutsy 30-27 victory on Sunday (Monday AEST) over the Indianapolis Colts despite conceding three fourth-quarter touchdowns to Andrew Luck and Frank Gore.
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles held his own versus Luck, throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third. Bortles finished 19 of 33 for 207 yards and three sacks, Luck went 27 of 42 for 234 yards, two TDs, six sacks and a costly first-quarter pick.
Still, Luck's three fourth-quarter touchdown drives - the last capped by a 64-yarder to Phillip Dorsett against busted coverage - rattled the Jaguars' nerves. But Luck's fourth-and-1 pass at the Jacksonville 49 with 1:36 remaining fell from the hands of tight end Dwayne Allen to preserve the victory for under-fire Jaguars coach Gus Bradley.
"Man, that was exciting. Our team never stopped believing despite all that Andrew Luck threw at us,'' Bradley said after the Jaguars' second straight win at their London second home, Wembley Stadium.
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"Our fan base here, that atmosphere out there, was unbelievable, and our team fed off it,'' he said in reference to the raucous sold-out crowd of 83,764, many of whom waved yellow Jaguars (1-3) flags and raised the volume whenever Luck had the ball.
The Colts (1-3) repeatedly self-destructed on offence with dropped balls and another costly Luck interception that led to Jacksonville's opening touchdown. The Colts proved just as reckless on defence as pass interference and unnecessary roughness penalties extended three Jacksonville scoring drives.
Frank Gore ran 16 times for 68 yards and rose to 10th on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
Gore added to his somewhat strange status as the NFL's greatest rusher outside the United States. Sunday marked his fourth time in regular-season action on foreign soil dating back to his rookie year of 2005 in Mexico City. Gore also had strong 2010 and 2013 performances as a 49er in London's Wembley. Adding Sunday's productive numbers leaves Gore with 66 non-American carries for 264 yards and four touchdowns.
