JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Richard Collier made an emotional return and the Jacksonville Jaguars got off to a fast start against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.
Collier made his first appearance at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium since he was shot in the early morning hours of Sept. 2.
ad his lower left leg amputated because of his injuries. Collier participated in the coin toss and left the field to a standing ovation.
“It was incredible,” said Collier, who was wearing a Jaguars warmup jacket and jeans. “I got chills. I’ve still got chills.”
His return seemed to perk up the Jaguars, who led the Colts 24-14 after three quarters despite a near-record performance by Peyton Manning. He completed his first 17 passes, which gave him 23 consecutive completions – the second-longest streak in NFL history. Donovan McNabb completed 24 consecutive passes in 2004.
Manning completed his final six attempts against Detroit on Sunday to start his streak.
Jacksonville led 14-0 before the Colts got on the scoreboard and then made several big plays late in the half to protect their lead.
The Jaguars scored on their first possession, driving 62 yards on eight plays. David Garrard capped the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Northcutt with 10:59 remaining. It was Northcutt’s second consecutive game with a touchdown catch. He caught five passes for 127 yards and one score in the Jaguars’ 20-16 victory over Green Bay on Sunday.
That was Northcutt’s first 100-yard game in nearly four years. He got the start because Matt Jones was suspended and Jerry Porter was on injured reserve.
5. Garrard capped it with a 2-yard run on third-and-goal with 11:37 remaining in the first half.
Indianapolis answered with Manning’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 8:39 remaining in the half, cutting the lead to 14-7. The Colts appeared poised to tie the game in the final minutes of the first half, but a big play by Jaguars safety Gerald Sensabaugh helped turn the Colts away.
Sensabaugh hammered running back Dominic Rhodes for a 2-yard loss on third-and-1 from the Jacksonville 9-yard line to force Adam Vinatieri to try a 30-yard field goal. Vinatieri pulled the kick just outside the left upright with 1:03 remaining in the half.
The Jaguars capitalized on that mistake. Garrard drove 54 yards on eight plays and Josh Scobee kicked a 44-field goal with 1 second to play. Scobee had missed four of his past seven attempts prior to that kick.
Manning, who went 13-for-13 in the first half, completed his first four passes in the second half, finally throwing an incompletion when he over threw Anthony Gonzalez in the end zone from the Jacksonville 23-yard line early in the third quarter. Three plays later, Rhodes caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 17-14.
The Jaguars responded with a 76-yard drive, which ended with Montel Owens’ 2-yard touchdown run with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter. That extended the lead to 24-14.
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