Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Jaguars escape deep hole, grab win on last play
Chargers squander 27-point lead
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —
Trevor Lawrence’s confidence never wavered. Not after the first interception. Or the second. Or the third. Or the fourth.
The generational quarterback simply delivered a generational comeback.
The No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft followed four interceptions with four touchdown passes — one of the most improbable turnarounds in NFL postseason history — and rallied Jacksonville to a 31-30 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
Lawrence engineered the winning drive, highlighted by Travis Etienne’s 25-yard run on a fourth-and-1 play, and put the Jaguars in position for Riley Patterson’s 36-yard field goal on the final play. It capped a 27-point comeback, the largest in franchise history and the third largest in playoff history.
“You couldn’t write a crazier script,” said Lawrence, who threw for 288 yards. “We said in the locker room that’s kind of how our season’s going. We’re never out of the fight. … I’m kind of speechless, honestly, just to see what belief can do.”
Patterson’s kick barely stayed inside the right upright and set off a raucous celebration for a franchise that had won a combined four games over the previous two years. The Jaguars (10-8) won their sixth consecutive game and fifth straight at home — all five in come-from-behind fashion.
Still, few could have seen this one coming.
Lawrence was dreadful to begin Jacksonville’s first playoff game since losing in the 2017 AFC title game. He became the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw four interceptions in the first half of a playoff game, joining Detroit’s Gary Danielson and Denver’s Craig Morton.
But he bounced back as well as anyone in NFL history. Jacksonville’s comeback goes down in postseason lore behind only Buffalo’s rally on Jan. 3, 1993 (32 points against Houston), and Indianapolis’ on Jan. 4, 2014 (28 points against Kansas City).
The Jaguars became the first team to win a playoff game with a turnover differential of minus-five or worse. Teams with that turnover deficit had been 0-19 in the Super Bowl era.
Lawrence connected with tight end Evan Engram and wide receivers Marvin Jones, Zay Jones and Christian Kirk for TDS. The QB added one of the biggest plays when he jumped for a two-point conversion with 5:25 to play that made it 30-28 — and put the Jaguars in position to win instead of tie.
Jacksonville’s defense responded by sacking Justin Herbert and then forcing a punt.
Herbert threw for 273 yards and a TD, but the Chargers’ offense was largely ineffective after a 62-yard TD drive that made it 24-0 in the second quarter. Los Angeles (10-8) finished with 320 yards of offense and 18 first downs but scored only three points on four second-half possessions.