Jaguars not fazed, come back from behind to beat Chargers in Super Wild Card Weekend

The Jacksonville Jaguars showed some life near the end of the second quarter. Trailing the Los Angeles Chargers 27-7 at halftime, they managed to score just before halftime. They picked up where they left off in the third quarter and went on to score 13 points. That was the beginning of what turned out to be a 31-30 win in Super Wild Card Weekend.

Tight end Evan Engram score Jacksonville’s first touchdown of the game. Trevor Lawrence then connected with wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. to draw the Jaguars to within 27-14 n the third quarter. The Chargers made it 30-14 with a field goal but Jacksonville wasn’t done and Lawrence found wide receiver Zay Jones for a 31-yard touchdown pass, his third of the game.

The Jags attempt a two-point conversion but it failed. Leading 30-20 with 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles put together a four-year, 58-yard drive but the offense stalled at the Jacksonville 22-yard line. Kicker Cameron Dicker attempt a field goal but it was no good.

Jacksonville got the ball back with 8:47 left in the fourth quarter, they proceeded to march down 70 yards on nine plays and score on a nine-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Christian Kirk. They attempted a two-point conversion once again and this time they got on a quarterback sneak, narrowing the Chargers’ lead to 30-28.

Los Angeles got the ball but they punted. With the game on the line, the Jaguars drove 61 yards on 10 plays and Riley Patterson made the game-winning field goal.

The Jaguars never gave up and beat the Chargers 31-28

Trevor Lawrence was off to a horrible start, throwing four interceptions in the first half, two in three in the first quarter alone. However, he didn’t faze and instead play a big role in the Jaguars’ amazing comeback win. As right tackle Jawaan Taylor noted after the game, their confidence in him never wavered:

“He never really got too shaken up about it”, Taylor told Bucky Brooks. “He just kept the next-play mentality. We have plenty of confidence in him and we knew he was gonna go out there and get the job done.”

After throwing four picks in the first half, the former Clemson Tiger didn’t throw any in the second half and instead score four touchdowns. He finished the game with 288 passing yards and a completion rate of 59.5 percent with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Running back Travis Etienne was a big factor, toting the rock 12 times for 72 yards in the second half after finishing the first half with eight rushes for 37 yards. He was huge in Jacksonville’s last drive, picking up 25 yards on fourth-and-1 with 1:27 left on the clock to get the Chargers’ 16-yard line and putting the Jags in a position to kick the game-winning field goal.

On the other hand, the defense deserves credit for tightening up in the second half. After allowing 27 points in the first half, they limited the Bolts to a measly three points in the second half.

Nobody would have been too harsh on the Jaguars if they had lost to the Chargers. After all, they had already exceeded expectations when then finished 9-8 in the regular season, qualified for the postseason, and won the AFC South. However, they keep outdoing themselves and they’re now ready to advance to the divisional round of 2022 NFL Playoffs.