The last time Joe Flacco won a game in Jacksonville feels like a distant memory, perhaps because it is. After all, that 19-17 victory in Duval County was eight years and five teams ago. Plus, Flacco, now the Colts’ backup quarterback, had a lot less grey hair.
“I only remember because I was throwing to Steve Smith,” Flacco said. “Jalen Ramsey was there (with the Jaguars). It was a while ago. … I mean shoot, most of these guys – I don’t think there’s probably many guys (in this locker room) that were in the league back then.”
Four.
That’s how many current Colts players were in the NFL in 2016. The list includes Flacco, starting center Ryan Kelly, starting defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and backup defensive tackle Adam Gotsis.
However, despite being nearly a decade removed from his last win in Jacksonville, Flacco is one of only 10 current Indianapolis players who has won a road game against the Jaguars. None of them were members of the Colts at the time.
Indianapolis’ last win in Jacksonville was in 2014. Andrew Luck was masterful, throwing for 370 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-17 victory. Since then, the Colts have lost eight straight in Duval County, plus another “road” loss to the Jaguars in London in 2016, bringing Indianapolis’ losing streak to nine games overall.
“I don’t care about the nine-game losing streak,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said when reminded of his team’s struggles in Jacksonville. “I only care about beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville in 2024.”
The Colts are sick of hearing about their losing streak, but this is the bottom line: They’ll continue to hear about it until something changes. As we wait to see if Indianapolis can end its Duval County curse against the 0-4 Jaguars, let’s take a look back at one of the most bizarre losing streaks in league history.
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Week 14 in 2015: Jaguars 51, Colts 16
In hindsight, it’s fitting that a streak this weird started with such a lopsided game. Matt Hasselbeck started at quarterback for the Colts, replacing an injured Luck, and then Hasselbeck got injured himself and was replaced by Charlie Whitehurst. As the Colts swapped quarterbacks, the Jaguars kept piling up points en route to a regular season franchise-record 51 points in the win. Blake Bortles was the Jaguars’ starting QB and scored four total touchdowns (three passing and one rushing).
Week 4 in 2016: Jaguars 30, Colts 27 (London)
Playing overseas still didn’t help the Colts as the Jaguars built a 23-6 late in the third quarter. Indianapolis responded with a furious fourth-quarter rally led by Luck, who threw a 64-yard pass to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett with 3:03 left in the game to make it a three-point contest. However, that was as close as Indianapolis would come. The Colts’ turnover on downs on their penultimate drive of the game essentially sealed their fate. Bortles led the Jaguars again with three total touchdowns (two passing and one rushing).
Week 13 in 2017: Jaguars 30, Colts 10
Luck was out for the season due to a shoulder injury, so Jacoby Brissett took the reins. He had a rough outing, finishing with just 174 passing yards and one touchdown pass against two interceptions. Bortles had another big day for the Jaguars, totaling 309 passing yards and two touchdowns. The only bright spot for Indianapolis was Brissett’s 40-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton in the third quarter that cut the lead to 24-10, but a pair of field goals from Josh Lambo helped Jacksonville regain its grip on the game.
Week 13 in 2018: Jaguars 6, Colts 0
This was an ugly game. Jacksonville and Indianapolis combined for 13 punts and three turnovers, and neither team was able to find the end zone. The Colts actually made it all the way to the Jaguars’ 1-yard line in the second quarter but turned it over on downs. Lambo’s two field goals proved to be the difference in an otherwise impressive season for Indianapolis. The Colts won nine of their last 10 regular-season games in 2018 to earn a postseason berth. Their one loss? That stinker in Duval County.
Week 17 in 2019: Jaguars 38, Colts 20
This was the first year of the Colts’ post-Luck era. Months after the 2012 No. 1 pick shockingly retired, and Brissett became the Colts’ starter, Indianapolis’ season came to an end with a lopsided loss to its division rival. Jacksonville’s quarterback that day? None other than Gardner Minshew, who started 13 games for the Colts last year as one of the top backups in the league. But back then, Minshew was still a relatively unknown rookie. The sixth-round pick surely seared his name into the Colts’ mind by torching their defense to the tune of 295 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Week 1 in 2020: Jaguars 27, Colts 20
This was the Jaguars’ only win of the year, starting 1-0 against Philip Rivers and the Colts before losing 15 straight games. Rivers spent his last season with the Colts in 2020 and ultimately led them to the playoffs. However, his season-opening performance was not one to remember. Rivers was picked off twice, while Minshew completed 19 of his 20 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. It also didn’t help that Rodrigo Blankenship (remember him?) missed a 30-yard field off the left upright midway through the third quarter.
Week 18 in 2021: Jaguars 26, Colts 11
This loss was probably the most egregious one throughout the Jacksonville curse. The Colts went to Duval County essentially needing a victory to punch their ticket to the playoffs and proceeded to fall flat on their face. Jacksonville finished 3-14 in 2021, but ended the season on a high note by snapping its eight-game losing streak. Laquon Treadwell, now a practice squad receiver for the Colts, caught a 2-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to get the Jaguars on the board, and Matthew Wright’s four field goals helped put the game out of reach. Carson Wentz was held to just 185 passing yards and one touchdown against on interception in his last game as a Colt.
Week 2 in 2022: Jaguars 24, Colts 0
Indianapolis could do nothing right in this game, evidenced by the goose egg it left on the scoreboard at then-TIAA Bank Stadium. Matt Ryan, in his lone season as a Colt and the final year of his career, threw three interceptions and was sacked five times. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence had a stellar day for the Jaguars, completing 25 of his 30 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. This loss was foreshadowing as the Colts finished 4-12-1. Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich was fired after a Week 9 loss at New England and replaced by Jeff Saturday, who had no prior coaching experience at the college or NFL level. So, it came as no surprise that Indianapolis lost seven straight games to end the season.
Week 6 in 2023: Jaguars 37, Colts 20
Florida native Anthony Richardson, the Colts’ No. 4 pick last year, sustained a season-ending shoulder injury a week before this matchup and was unable to play in his first NFL game in his home state. Minshew took Richardson’s place but threw three interceptions in a matchup that was never really close. Indianapolis out-gained Jacksonville (354 yards versus 233 yards), though the Colts committed four turnovers to the Jaguars’ one. Jacksonville capitalized with Lawrence throwing two touchdowns, and running back Travis Etienne scoring twice on the ground.
(Top photo: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)
