The Indianapolis Colts (2-3) couldn't finish the job on the road in a 37-34 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) at TIAA Bank Field.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Colts and extends their road losing streak to the Jaguars to 10 games.
The Colts showed some life late by erasing a 14-point deficit in the final four minutes of the game while the defense continues to be a massive issue.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the Week 5 loss:
Colts vs. Jaguars: Biggest takeaways from Week 5
Gus Bradley's defense continues to struggle
If it weren't for two massive plays at the end of the game from Alec Pierce, this contest would have looked much uglier. Bradley's defense surrendered 497 total yards and 8.7 yards per play. This came against a Jaguars offense that hadn't recorded more than 323 yards in a game this season and one that was averaging 4.9 yards per play entering this game.
The injuries to the defensive line and secondary certainly played a role, but blown coverages that lead to 85-yard touchdowns are still issues for the Colts. They also didn't record a sack or a quarterback hit on Trevor Lawrence throughout the entire game.
The Colts won't be able to survive if they continue to get gashed on the defensive side of the ball and if it continues, Bradley's seat is going to get extremely hot.
Joe Flacco shows up again
With Anthony Richardson (oblique) inactive for this game, the Colts leaned on Flacco once again. He didn't have the same magic to get them to a win, but he was still strong overall. Flacco completed 33-of-44 passes for 359 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 121.3 passer rating.
It wasn't a perfect day from Flacco, who saw several drives stall out. However, he kept the Colts in the game and even brought them back from a 14-point deficit with 4:27 left in the game.
The Colts will start Richardson once he's fully healthy, but the decision to bring in Flacco this offseason is still proving to be a fantastic decision.
Duval Dread
The dread in Duval continues. The Colts have now lost their last 10 road games against the Jaguars — nine of which have been in Duval with the other coming in London. It seems to not matter what kind of team the Colts have going into Duval. There's something in the water there that always results in a road loss.
What's encouraging is that the offense is humming even without Michael Pittman Jr. playing consistently and without Jonathan Taylor on the field. Getting Richardson his reps is vital, and it remains the main objective for the team in 2024.
Fortunately for the Colts, they got this loss out of the way relatively early in the season, and they'll have to wait until next season to try to break the streak.
