The Jaguars Mismanaged the Clock to End the First Half and Were Brutally Roasted by NFL Fans

The Jaguars left plenty of points on the board in the first half against the Ravens on Sunday Night Football.

After two missed field goals and one fumble just outside the red zone, Jacksonville had already been struggling to punch the ball in for points against Baltimore. But right before halftime, the Jags took those struggles to a brand new level.

Having used all of their timeouts on the Ravens’ previous possession, the Jaguars got the ball back with just over a minute to play in the half and no way of stopping the clock. Ideally, a few quick outs could get them into field goal range to cut into Baltimore’s 10–0 lead before the break.

Two penalties got Jacksonville past midfield, and then quarterback Trevor Lawrence connected with receiver Zay Jones on a deep route that got the ball inside the five-yard line.

With the clock running, everyone watching expected the Jaguars to rush to the line and spike the ball. Instead, Lawrence signaled wildly as he ran down the field, calling a play on the fly as Jacksonville got to the line.

Lawrence took the snap and connected with receiver Parker Washington on a flat route. He was well short of the goal line and tackled inbounds as the clock continued to run. Before the Jaguars had another opportunity to spike the ball, the half was over.

The sequence took at least three, and possibly seven, points off the board for Jacksonville. Had the Jags spiked the ball, they would have had time to call at least one, possibly two, passes into the end zone. If those plays failed, they could set up a chip-shot field goal that would cut the Ravens lead to a single score.

Instead, they ran the clock out on themselves.

Fans following the action at home tore into the Jaguars for their mismanagement of the game.

If the Jaguars had been able to capitalize on any of the chances they had created through the first half, they could have had the lead heading into the break. Instead, they were shut out through 30 minutes of football.