2020 Long Island EFL Week#1 Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

[Long island EFL]

LIEFL #21 Ranked Indianapolis Colts (64-87) vs. LIEFL #30 Jacksonville Jaguars (25-25)

This week in the Long Island Electric Football League we've watched a great first six games of the 16 weekly games. Our 2020 Draft has players and teams performing! The Jaguars and Colts are a bitter rival in the LIEFL with each slugging it out toe-to-toe for the division title. With the Jaguars escaping the Colts wrath by not having to play them last season, Indianapolis remains a powerful force in the League with four playoff appearances since 1977, and two in a row!

There is an endless supply of talent in this division rivalry between the Jacksonville Jaguars and consistent playoff team, the Indianapolis Colts.  In 2019, the Colts were the #4 AFC Seeded team in the Playoffs. They fell just short of the AFC Divisional Game after losing to the #5 Seeded Oakland Raiders in the AFC Wild Card Game, November 26, 2019, 38-34! Indianapolis' Joseph Addai had 26 carries for 560 all-purpose yards with four touchdowns in that heart-breaking loss the the Raiders. And, in 2018 the Colts lost 44-38 in OT to the Los Angeles Chargers in their run for the LIEFL Super Bowl XVI. This is a battle-ready team!

The last time these Jaguars saw the playoffs in the LIEFL, was in 2000, their first year in our league when they went (10-4) and beat the Baltimore Ravens 28-27 in the Divisional Game, and then were embarrassed in the AFC Championship Game by Miami 30-10!  The Jaguars can't seem to find the balance in developing a strong running game complimented by the double-threat passing game, but they have excellent special teams. 

Jacksonville's Fred Taylor exploded on the opening kick-off with a 45 yard kick return. The Jags fought hard against a strong Colts defensive line led by Bubba Smith and Elmer Collett, but Taylor (#15 in AFC and #30 in LIEFL Rushing) roped in a 44-yard touchdown catch to make the score 7-0 Jags. The explosive Joseph Addai, who finished (#5 in Rushing in the AFC with 43-477-10 TD's and #7 in the LIEFL in all-purpose yards going 62-1533-11/TD's in 2019), scampered back 54 yards on the ensuing kick-off for the Colts. One play later he blasted through the weak-side of Jacksonville past the great Jaguar tackle Rob Meir, for an explosive 46 yard Touchdown run, 7-7!  Meir had three tackles in the game for the Jaguars.

On the Jaguar's next drive, Connor Slomka, the Rookie Fullback out of nowhere, grabbed a 46 yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell, putting Jacksonville ahead 14-7!  The Colts marched right back downfield as Marvin Harrison had two key catches for the Colts, one a 33-yard TD from Phillip Walker, formerly of the XFL Houston Roughnecks, to tie the game at 14-14! With the game tied in regulation the Colts won the bitter coin-toss. It is hard to win on the road in the LIEFL, but the Colts had the chance to take advantage and move up on the season, facing the Minnesota Vikings next week at Indianapolis.

In overtime, Addai would save the best for last. He had a blazing, explosive season-long run of 72 yards to the Jacksonville four-yard line. One play later, Addai was wide open in the end-zone with the game winner 20-14 in 2:09 of Overtime!  The Jaguars will face another division rival in Tennessee next week on the road. When you lose two games in the LIEFL 7-Game Season format, it is tough to recover, but these Jaguars will battle anyone!

 

 

Edited July 28, 2020 by Long island EFL
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