Jaguars 31, Chargers 30: 5 Observations on Stunning Comeback Win
The Jacksonville Jaguars have not stopped rolling. Nothing is standing in their way during their six-game winning streak, even themselves -- at least not during their 31-30 walk-off win vs. the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
"My hats off to our guys, our team. I told them after the game that other than obviously winning the Super Bowl a few years ago, greatest coaching victory as a team, this one is right up there with it," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game.
"My hats off to our guys for just battling. As deep a hole as we dug in the first half, there was – you guys have been around our team, you know there's no quit in our guys. They did an outstanding job, obviously, in the second half, and Riley [Patterson] kicking that ball at the end was obviously a thing of beauty."
So with the Jaguars advancing to the AFC Divisonal Round after their 27-0 comeback, what do we make of what we saw on Saturday night?
Doug Pederson's 4th-down play call was arguably the best in franchise history
Doug Pederson has never been more of an Andy Reid disciple than he was on Saturday night. Despite a quarterback who wouldn't stop turning it over and a run defense that was clearly limited, Pederson aired it out time and time again on Saturday -- even in obvious run situations. The best example is the 3rd-and-1 right before the Jaguars' game-winning fourth down, with Pederson asking a then red-hot Lawrence to get the yard and extend the final drive with his arm instead of opting to grind the yard out on the ground. It was vintage Pederson/Reid, putting the game in the quarterback's hands even when conventional knowledge says not to.
Then, Pederson channeled his inner Reid to an even higher degree. After sending the offense on the field in a singleback formation for 4th-and-1, Pederson opted to call timeout -- a potential disaster if the Jaguars didn't get the conversion. It was a bold call, but not as bold as the call Pederson then made. Following the timeout. the Jaguars entered the field with a tight T formation, drawing up a service academy-Esque sweep to Travis Etienne to win the game and shock everyone in the stadium.
"Yeah, we actually had a different call on before, and he didn't like the look that the defense was in. It was probably smart looking back at it. Just got the time-out off. I was kind of mad at first because I thought it was going to work," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said after the game.
"Then he told me, and I was like, all right, sounds good. So, then he got the new call in, and just get the ball in Travis' hands, and he makes a play like that, wins the game for us essentially. Obviously Riley won the game, but putting us in position there. It takes a lot of guts there, fourth-and-1 and game on the line, and just the guys up front, they just mashed them. They set the edge, and Travis was rolling."
The call was peak Pederson. It was aggressive, inventive, forward-thinking, and toeing the fine line between risk and reward. And for a young Jaguars franchise that hasn't had many postseason moments like Saturday's, there is a good argument to make for it as one of the best play calls in franchise history.
"Yeah, sometimes – listen, if they're outside, you go inside. If they're inside, you go outside, and Travis is a heck of a back that can do that, and with his speed and ability, made a great play in that moment," Pederson said.
Trevor Lawrence's touchdown explosion seems more like a trend than his interceptions
It is easy to kill Trevor Lawrence for his first-half performance. He nearly set a Wild Card record for interceptions thrown and did it in just six possessions; it was an all-time bad start, and one that will likely not be seen again for some time. But it is also worth examining the context of Lawrence's interceptions.
The first one came on a tipped RPO which, while unfortunate, isn't a truly poor effort from Lawrence. Bad result, but the process was fine. The second interception probably should have been called for defensive pass interference, too, with Asante Samuel Jr. being overly handsy with Zay Jones at the top of the route. The third pick was a horrible decision by Lawrence, who failed to read the underneath zone defender on a mesh route. And his final interception was simply a bad ball to a covered wideout.
"For myself, obviously yeah, definitely the worst half of my football life, of a lot of people's football life, too. Some type of history probably in that stat. Really, I felt like only one of those plays was a big decision," Lawrence said after the game.
"I felt like I was seeing things all right. They made a couple great plays. There was one where Zay [Jones] got tangled up for whatever – we'll leave it at that. The guy made a good play, though, on the 4th down early in the game. And then the one when we were backed up was a bad decision.
So, four picks, with two awful decisions and bad luck on two others. Awful production, but a trend? Eh. It is more likely that Lawrence's second-half explosion, which saw him process the Chargers' defense at a faster rate and take fewer risks with the ball, is the more likely trend considering what we know about Lawrence and about Pederson's offense. Four interceptions is four interceptions, but it shouldn't be a worry moving forward.
Josh Allen and Travon Walker outdid the Chargers' pass-rush duo
Between the four starting edge rushers among the two sides on Saturday, all were top-10 picks. The Chargers' duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack is far more established than the Jaguars' duo of Josh Allen and Travon Walker, which is reflected both in their salaries and in their reputations. The Chargers were seen by many teams as owners of the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL after the Mack trade, while the Jaguars have not had much national fanfare for the duo of Allen and Walker.
But on Saturday, one duo made an undeniable positive impact on the game, while the other was mostly a non-factor outside of a meltdown that led to points. Walker and Allen consistently harassed Justin Herbert, combining for 12 pressures, six quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Bosa and Mack combined for four pressures, two quarterback hits and one sack, with Bosa having an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the game that led to the Jaguars going for two points and, ultimately, winning the game.
In short, the Jaguars' star edge rushers lived up to their draft status. They were a major reason Justin Herbert was limited to one touchdown and why the Chargers' few touchdown drives came on short fields. If Bosa and Mack had played as well as Walker and Allen, perhaps the Chargers would not have lost.
Riley Patterson continues to serve as the anecdote to the kicking game
It wasn't long ago the Jaguars were seemingly close to offering open tryouts at the nearest junior college for kickers. Over the offseason and early weeks of training camp, the Jaguars saw kicker after kicker struggle, with the Jaguars juggling through multiple kickers throughout the course of camp.
That was until Riley Patterson became available after 53-man rosters were set. The Jaguars made a bold move and claimed Patterson after James McCourt had a strong performance just days earlier. And while Patterson has had shaky moments here and there since then, his steadiness in big moments has proven that he is the answer to the kicking question that the Jaguars had to keep asking.
"Yeah, you know, obviously this is a big moment for him, and for him to make that kick under these circumstances is great for his career, too," Pederson said.
"I'm just proud of him for battling through what he's – a little shaky start to start the season, but he's really locked in here at the end of the year, and nothing greater than that kick here at the end.
Mike Caldwell deserves his flowers
Mike Caldwell and his defense have been spectacular in the second half of games in recent weeks, not allowing a single touchdown in the second-half since their win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. An entire month has since gone by, with the Jaguars' defense frustrating Herbert over and over again on Saturday by forcing two punts and two field goal attempts in the second-half.
"A little bit," Herbert said after the game when asked if the Jaguars made second-half adjustments after the Chargers scored 27 first-half points thanks to Lawrence's turnovers.
"We got a lot of respect for the Jaguars and their defense, and they're a really tough defense. It falls on us for not executing in the second half. We were able to put up some points in the first half, but you got to be able to play four quarters as a NFL team."
Were it not for Lawrence giving the Chargers short fields, the Chargers might not have scored 20 points. It was a phenomenal showing by Caldwell, especially in terms of getting of his guys to play at their best when the hole was dug the deepest.
