With AFC title rematch on tap, Jags look back
Host the Patriots Sunday eight months after loss
Jacksonville, Fla. — Myles Jack squeezed into his locker stall, his leather chair pushed to one side, his sweaty clothes scattered across the floor.
He had Jacksonville's season opener against the New York Giants running through his mind, so the mere mention of New England caught him off guard.
"Oh, we're going way back?" Jack asked last week.
Just eight months. Just to the team's final game of the 2017 season. Just to the closest the small-market franchise has even been to the Super Bowl.
Just to one play, really. The Play, actually.
With the Patriots (1-0) and Jaguars (1-0) meeting again Sunday in Jacksonville, it's sure to be a topic of conversation outside — maybe even inside — the locker rooms.
The Jags allowed a third-and-18 conversion in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at New England in late January, a lapse that was instrumental in the Patriots overcoming a 10-point deficit and one that still haunts Jacksonville's players and coaches more than 250 days later.
"I was just starting to forget about that play," Jack said. "I can't believe I have to relive that."
The Jaguars did just about everything right through three-plus quarters against the defending Super Bowl champions. The defense pressured Tom Brady, sacking him three times . The offense controlled the clock, keeping the three-time league MVP on the sideline. Together, they built a lead and stretched it to 2010 with a field goal early in the final frame. Jack even forced a fumble on the next possession that could have been a touchdown.
He was ruled down by contact, and the Jags followed with a three-andout series.
Everything started to unravel a few minutes later.
With 10:49 remaining and the Pats facing third-and-18 at their own 25-yard line, the Jaguars liked their chances — and for good reason. Jacksonville's vaunted defense ranked fifth in the league in preventing thirddown conversions of 16 yards or longer.
The unit featured six Pro Bowl selections, two speedy linebackers, the league's top-rated secondary and arguably the best pass rush in franchise history. The Jags had few, if any, holes on that side of the ball.
In third-down situations of 16 yards or longer, they had stopped opponents short of first downs 17 times in 18 tries during the regular season. None of those came against Brady. The New England quarterback handled a low snap in a shotgun formation, took a five-step drop to buy extra time, shuffled left to avoid Dareus' rush and then threw a low pass to Danny Amendola in the middle of the field that he hauled in for a 21-yard gain.
"I remember how big the play was," Patriots running back James White recalled. "I don't remember the exact play call or what-not, but it was a big play. I mean, Danny always comes up with plays like that, finds the right spot in zone. We had good protection; the offensive line did a great job. Tom did a good job finding him. We needed that play in order to get to where we wanted to be, so it was huge play."
New England scored four plays later, seizing the momentum from the unlikely conversion and leaving the Jags reeling.