The Jacksonville Jaguars came back from a 27-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 on Super Wild Card Weekend. After a difficult start, Trevor Lawrence and the Jags started a 24-3 run in the second half and completed the comeback with a 36-yard field goal from Riley Patterson when time was up. It was the third-biggest comeback in NFL postseason history.
It was a two-half story for the Jaguars, and Lawrence had about as bumpy a first half as one could get. Of his first 16 pass attempts, the quarterback made four for his teammates and four for the Chargers. The former No. 1 overall was intercepted four times in the first half – three of which were recorded by Asante Samuel Jr. Lawrence became the fifth quarterback to throw three interceptions in a playoff quarter since 1991, but he was the first to do so in a first quarter. However, Lawrence came out rejuvenated at halftime.
Lawrence led three straight touchdown drives, the last of which included a two-point conversion to reduce the deficit to just two points with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter. After the Jaguars’ defense forced a three-and-out, Lawrence got a chance to write his own ending. With the game on the line, he led the offense 61 yards down the field in 10 games and was setting up Patterson to send the ball through the posts when the clock hit triple zeros.
Lawrence ended up completing 28 of 47 passes for 288 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions, while college teammate Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 20 carries for 109 yards. Evan Engram was the Jaguars’ leading receiver with 93 yards and a touchdown in seven catches. Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Marvin Jones Jr. also caught touchdowns in the win.
Justin Herbert completed 25 of 43 passes for the Chargers for 273 yards and a touchdown. Austin Ekeler was largely ineffective, rushing for 35 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. Gerald Everett led the Chargers with 109 yards and a touchdown in six receptions.
So what on earth happened in this game? Let’s take a look.
Why the Jaguars won
short-term memory. It’s something all quarterbacks need to be successful. But how can you have a short memory after four first-half interceptions?
Have we ever seen this in the NFL before? A quarterback who looks like he needs to be benched turns it around and is almost flawless in the second half. On Lawrence’s first seven drives, he completed 5 of 18 passes for 35 yards and four interceptions. On his last five drives, he completed 23 of 29 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns. It was remarkable.
Lawrence’s turnaround will be what’s being talked about in this game, but the rest of the Jaguars also deserve credit. The offensive played out as did their quarterback as Engram, Etienne and others made key plays down the stretch. And then the defense played aggressively in the second half, stopping the Chargers on three of their four drives.
At the same time, should we be surprised that the Jaguars have pulled off this comeback? They’ve done that in the last five home games.
- In Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Jags fell 17 points behind. Jacksonville came back to win.
- In Week 12 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Jags fell nine points behind. Jacksonville came back to win.
- In Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys, the Jags fell 17 points behind. Jacksonville came back to win.
- In Week 18 against the Tennessee Titans, the Jags fell 10 points behind. Jacksonville came back to win.
- In the AFC wild card round against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jags fell 27 points behind. Jacksonville came back to win.
It was always the Jags!
Why the chargers lost
The Chargers looked like the better team in the first half. The offense scored on four of their first five possessions, while the defense forced five turnovers. The “Turnover” stat is the headliner, of course, but the Chargers defense did a great job making Lawrence uncomfortable and then standing upright in third place. The Jags went 0-for-7 on third downs in the first two quarters! So what happened?
LA lost its way in the second half. The Chargers played not to lose the game instead of playing to win the contest — which ultimately ended their season. Defensively, the Chargers took away all the avenues underneath and kept Lawrence under pressure for most of the first half. However, the same unit played at heels the entire second half, allowing the Jaguars’ offense to score with all four possessions after the halftime break.
It wasn’t better offensively. Herbert threw just 134 yards and zero touchdowns in the second half, while Ekeler didn’t gain a single grounded yard in the last two quarters. The offense scored just three points in the second half compared to the 27 they scored in the first half. Just check out their drive charts after halftime:
- 7 plays, 37 yards, punt (2:32)
- 7 plays, 45 yards, field goal (2:13)
- 14 plays, 58 yards, missed field goal (6:57)
- 3 plays, 5 yards, punt (2:16)
This was a major breakdown in more ways than one. No play or decision decides the outcome of a game, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Joey Bosa’s penalty. The star pass rusher slammed his helmet to the ground and pulled a flag after Lawrence hit Christian Kirk for a touchdown to cut the lead to four points. That penalty made it easy for Pederson to go to two, and Lawrence smashed it in himself to cut the lead to two points. Ultimately, that’s what made Patterson’s field goal a game-winning field goal five minutes later.
Turning point/course of the game
Pederson called the “Philly Special” in Super Bowl LII for the Philadelphia Eagles. On Saturday, he called the “Duval Special” — from the “T!” Although the game wasn’t nearly as flashy as the “Philly Special,” it set the Jaguars up for their game-winning field goal.
With a fourth and 1 with 1:28 in play, Pederson lined up three players behind Lawrence. In today’s NFL, sneakingly shoving the QB from behind has become commonplace. It was fair to assume that would happen, but Pederson chose a sweep to Etienne instead!
That play went for 25 yards and practically won the game for Jacksonville.
What’s next
Barring AFC disruptions on Sunday, the Jaguars play the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead next weekend. The Chiefs defeated the Jaguars 27-17 in Week 10 earlier this season. As for the Chargers, they will now turn their attention to the offseason.