Halftime Update: Jaguars Take 9-6 Lead Over Vikings Into Halftime

Well, that was something.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10) are playing for nothing but pride at this point in the season, but that seems more than enough incentive for the league's youngest roster to go all out. The Jaguars started Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings (5-6) on fire, leading the Vikings 9-6 going into halftime.

Jacksonville got a big boost when Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks was ruled out shortly before kickoff. Kendricks, who is the best defensive play for Minnesota, injured his calf during warmups. The Jaguars opted to take advantage of his absence right away, targeting James O'Shaughnessy for a 24-yard pass on the first offensive play of the game.

The Jaguars' offense didn't stop there. They would drive down the field with 25 scrimmage yards from James Robinson on three touches before they scored what is certainly one of the most improbable touchdowns of the season.

Facing second down from the Vikings' 28, Glennon heaved a pass toward a wide-open DJ Chark. The pass sailed over Chark's head, however, and hit a Vikings secondary player in the chest. The ball would bounce off said chest and land directly in Laviska Shenault's hands in the end zone, giving him his first touchdown since Week 1.

Laviska Shenault's touchdown is the most unlikely touchdown you'll see today: pic.twitter.com/t8ZGQrByyY
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) December 6, 2020

Jacksonville's defense would start off just as fast as the offense, forcing the Vikings to punt on each of their first three drives. This included two three-and-outs and saw the Vikings gain just 25 net yards of offense. Jacksonville saw big plays from individual members of the defense, with Dawuane Smoot sacking Kirk Cousins on a third down, Greg Mabin forcing an incompletion off of Adam Thielen, and a great tackle of Justin Jefferson in space by Myles Jack.

With that said, the Jaguars' luck eventually ran out. Jacksonville drove into Minnesota territory a second time but was forced to kick a 22-yard field goal. Then, Mike Glennon threw an interception to Cameran Dantzler that set up Minnesota's first scoring drive of the day.

As a result of the interception, the Vikings' offense drove 78 yards in 10 plays and saw Dalvin Cook and Thielen both make a number of big plays. The Vikings capped off their best drive of the day with a three-yard touchdown from Adam Thielen.

Jacksonville closed the first half strong, however. They fended off a Vikings attempt to score before the second quarter ended by sacking Cousins with 56 seconds left, capping off a first drive in which the Vikings got held to just 115 net total yards of offense.

The Jaguars have seen this type of game before this year, frequently playing teams close in the first half before falling apart as the game winds down. The Jaguars will now look to ensure they don't replicate their fate of the last several weeks.

Other notes

Joe Giles-Harris got the start at strongside linebacker with Kamalei Correa injured. He impressed, recording 3 tackles and a quarterback hit.
Laviska Shenault appeared to injure his hand or arm on a third down target near the end of the first half. He was not on the field for the team's final first half possession.
Jacksonville held Dalvin Cook to 21 yards on eight carries (2.3 yards per carry). Justin Jefferson got two passes for 12 yards.
Jaguars are averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Laviska Shenault has two carries for 30 yards while James Robinson has 43 yards on 9 carries.
Doug Costin got the start over Taven Bryan at three-technique for the third game in a row.

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