JACKSONVILLE - It seemed the ugliest of matchups, the NFL's worst offense (Jaguars) against the lousiest of defenses (Colts), but Sunday saw bustout brilliance from second-year Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich.
The second-year player from Marshall dazzled as never before in the pros, passing for 318 yards while Indianapolis hero Peyton Manning was managing 220. Still, it wasn't enough for the Jags.
After a 40-yard Leftwich touchdown pass to Jimmy Smith on a fourth-and-1 gamble created a tie at 17 with 10:37 to play, the artful Manning drove the Colts to a 24-17 win, completing five passes on a 74-yard drive with Edgerrin James bulling the final three.
Even then, the Jags believed in magic. Despite averaging an anemic 11.7 points, they had opened the season 3-0 with every game decided in the final minute. There was one last chance against Indy.
One more time, it came to a fourth-and-1 dilemma. No long heave by the 6-5, 245-pound Leftwich this time. Going with the predictable, Fred Taylor ran off right tackle and was mashed by Colts linebacker Rob Morris at the Indy 45, a half-foot shy of keeping Jacksonville's hopes alive with 1:52 remaining.
"We couldn't seem to put them away," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "But we do have some great professionals on our side and they produced when it was absolutely essential.
"We hadn't expected Jacksonville to control the football so well. Being a defensive-minded guy, it's still hard for me to so often be depending on offense to control things when games are on the line.
"I'd sooner have a nice lead and be dominating the fourth quarter with defense. But don't think I'm complaining. We have a lot of offensive power and it's working pretty well."
Indy and Jacksonville are 3-1, tied atop the AFC South. Dungy's defense made some key stops but continued to bleed heavily. With their No.32 ranking, the Colts were allowing 424 yards before getting punished for 408 by the 32nd-ranked Jaguars offense.
Jacksonville had nine possessions and pushed into Colts territory every time. Leftwich, working efficiently from the shotgun formation, completed 29 of 41 passes with no interceptions.
"I was totally sold we were going to take it home on that last drive and win again," Leftwich said. "We are growing up as an offense. Our days of ranking on the NFL bottom are done."
Manning had a 15-yard scoring pass to Marvin Harrison, the 71st time the duo has combined for a touchdown. The combination ranks third all-time behind Steve Young-Jerry Rice (85) and Dan Marino-Mark Clayton (79).
Jacksonville threw the defensive book at Indy's top-ranked offense. Late in the first half, the Jags were using six defensive backs, four linebackers and a single lineman. Manning hit 5 of 7 passes, setting up a 46-yard Mike Vanderjagt field goal for a 10-0 lead.
DUNGY ON THE BUCS:
Dungy, fired by the Bucs after a 54-42 record in six seasons (1996-2001), said he "feels bad" at seeing Tampa Bay get off to an 0-4 start, "because I have a lot of players down there, although not so many now." He still owns a Tampa home and predicted, "the Bucs will get it going before long. I really want that for their great fans."
