Frank Reich warned his Indianapolis Colts team they have to "dial it back" despite an impressive victory over the New England Patriots on Saturday.
The Colts scored a 27-17 win against the Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday to improve to 8-6 on the season, leaving them fifth in the conference standings.
Next time out, the Colts face the high-flying Arizona Cardinals and, while delighted to add another tick in the win column, head coach Reich said there is plenty of work ahead in their playoff bid.
"We're the five seed, we got to win every one of these games," Reich said.
"What we said in there was, hey, this is a great team win but this counts for one. It counts for one, that's it.
"So, we got to dial it back in and get ready to play against, obviously, the best team in the NFL next Saturday."
Jonathan Taylor was influential for the Colts, rushing for 167 yards including a 67-yard touchdown with 2:01 remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter to put the seal on the Colts' triumph.
It means Taylor has run for a score in 11 straight games, which matches the Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for the longest streak in franchise history.
"I think it just says we're a team that's going to come in and play 60 minutes, four quarters of hard football and we're not going to give up till the clock hits zero," Taylor said.
"It was just all out effort."
Speaking about Taylor's sensational 67-yard TD, Reich admitted he almost called for a different play.
"I almost called a pass there because I thought we needed a first down and I talked it over with Marcus Brady and said 'no, let's call one more pass,'" Reich said of discussions with his offensive coordinator.
"There's no way anybody's catching him."
For the Patriots, defeat means they drop out of the AFC top-seed spot, while their seven-game winning streak was snapped.
A host of sloppy errors left them with a 20-0 deficit from which they were never able to recover.
"I've said it like five times, I can say it another five times," head coach Bill Belichick said.
"We didn't do anything well enough to win tonight."
Jaguars QB Lawrence has high-ankle sprain, status for Week 14 uncertain
Trevor Lawrence sustained a right high-ankle sprain in Monday's night's 34-31 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jaguars coach Doug Person revealed the diagnosis while talking to reporters Tuesday.
"Everything is stable," Pederson said. "Everything looks good and we'll see where he is in a couple of days."
Jacksonville visits the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and Pederson didn't rule out Lawrence from playing.
"I'm not going to put that timetable on Trevor, not going to put him in a box like that," Pederson said.
Lawrence was injured with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when his his right leg bent awkwardly after being stepped on by teammate Walker Little as he was sacked. He went to the ground in obvious pain and needed to be helped off the field. X-rays taken at Jacksonville's stadium were negative.
"The one last night looked worse than what it really was - very fortunate there," Pederson said. "But he seems to have a little bit of a knack (for avoiding serious injury)."
If he can't play, it would be the first game the durable Lawrence would miss since the Jaguars selected him No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
Backup C.J. Beathard would then make his 13th career start - and first since Week 17 of the 2020 season for the San Francisco 49ers. He is 2-10 as a starter in the NFL.
Replacing Lawrence on Monday, Beathard completed 9-of-10 passes for 63 yards.
"It's good to get C.J. a full week of preparation," Pederson said. "Trevor will stay mentally sharp and obviously see where he's at."
Lawrence was enjoying another showing before the injury, completing 22-of-29 passes for 258 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
In 12 games this season, he has 3,004 passing yards with 14 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions.
While Lawrence's status is uncertain, Pederson announced that top wide receiver Christian Kirk will be sidelined for "some time" due to a core muscle injury that will likely require surgery.
Kirk, who was injured on the first play from scrimmage against the Bengals, leads Jacksonville with 787 receiving yards on 57 receptions with three touchdown catches.
With Monday's loss, the Jaguars dropped to 8-4 and their lead atop the AFC South shrunk to one game over the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans.
The Cincinnati Bengals stunned the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 on the back of kicker Evan McPherson’s overtime field goal.
In just his second career start, Bengals quarterback Jake Browning threw for 354 yards and a touchdown while his counterpart Trevor Lawrence left the field late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
The Jaguars opened the scoring in the first quarter through running back Travis Etienne Jr before Cincinnati equalised at the start of the second with a six-yard touchdown run from Joe Mixon.
A touchdown to Jacksonville’s Evan Engram and Mixon finding the end zone for his second saw the half-time score even at 14-14.
Momentum continued to shift after the break, Cincinatti briefly taking the lead before the Jaguars entered the fourth quarter with a seven-point advantage.
The Bengals levelled again through a one-yard touchdown run from Browning and took the lead on a 54-yard field goal with just two minutes and 28 seconds on the clock.
The Cincinnati defence was almost able to wrap things up in regulation, but Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus was forced overtime in the final 30 seconds.
With Lawrence out of the game, the Bengals were ultimately able to claim their sixth win of the season through McPherson’s 48-yard conversion.
Free agent LB Leonard signs with Eagles
Shaquille Leonard has found a new home.
The free agent linebacker agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.
The 28-year-old had also met with the Dallas Cowboys, but ultimately decided to join the reigning NFC champions.
The Eagles, who visit the Cowboys on Sunday, suddenly need to shore up their defence after surrendering 456 yards in yesterday's 42-19 drubbing by the San Francisco 49ers in the highly anticipated NFC championship game rematch.
Since Week 11, Philadelphia is 31st in rushing defence, permitting an average of 162.3 yards per game on the ground after boasting the league's top-ranked rushing defence prior to its Week 10 bye, yielding 66.3 rushing yards per game.
The hope is Leonard, who was surprisingly waived by the Indianapolis Colts on November 21, can recapture the play that made him one of the top defenders in the league.
Leonard was voted to the AP All-Pro team as a rookie in 2018, then again in 2020 and 2021, but his injuries limited him to just three games last season and his production has dropped significantly.
After spending his first six seasons in Indianapolis, he was then cut by the Colts last month after complaining about his lack of playing time.
He had started the first nine games of the season for Indianapolis, registering 65 tackles with two going for loss.
In 70 career games, Leonard has 15 sacks, 12 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.
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