Another Patriots Legend Has Backed Jaguars on 'Myles Jack Wasn't Down'

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There have been entire generations of Jacksonville Jaguars fans and Duval County residents who have had four words burned into their psyche for most of the last decade.

Myles Jack Wasn't Down.

The simple and defiant statement quickly turned into a rallying cry for the fan base after the Jaguars' loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game during the 2017 season.

myles jack patriots\ — Jan 21, 2018; Foxborough, MA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Myles Jack (44) celebrates a turnover during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Since then, it has been the biggest "what if?" the Jaguars have ever experienced. What hasn't helped is the fact that the Patriots have never been shy about agreeing that the Jaguars got robbed, and another Patriots legend has joined the conversation.

Gronk Weighs In

Speaking on the '4th and South' Podcast with Jarvis Landry and former Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, Gronkowski noted that he is yet another Patriots legend who thinks the Jaguars got robbed -- joining the likes of Tom Brady and even the NFL, according to former Jaguars head coach and EVP Tom Coughlin.

Gronk and @_fournette look back on THAT call that swung Patriots-Jags pic.twitter.com/povnUK2PUg
— 4th and South (@4thAndSouthPod) April 30, 2026

With 13:53 left in the fourth quarter and Jacksonville leading New England 20-10, the Patriots pulled out a desperation trick play to try to attack the Jaguars' defense. Tom Brady threw a pass to wide receiver Danny Amendola behind the line of scrimmage and Amendola then threw the ball to the other sideline to set up a screen for running back Dion Lewis.

Afer it looked like Lewis might break an explosive run, Jack made one of the most memorable and now controversial plays in franchise history by tackling Lewis from behind to force a fumble before he ended up taking posession himself.

In that moment, it looked like Jack was about to take the ball screaming into the other end zone and likely send the Jaguars to their first-ever Super Bowl. Instead, the officials blew the play dead and said Jack was down on contact. The Jaguars got the ball, but not the chance for a touchdown.

Jacksonville then went three-and-out on the following offensive possession, and the Patriots scored on an eight-play, 85-yard touchdown drive when they got the ball back. New England would win the game 24-20

"Yeah, but we didn’t do the cheating. It was just a call on the field at the time, but if you go back and watch it now, I don’t think he was down. I think the NFL came out and even admitted he wasn’t down. I think Tom even admitted it too. But we didn’t have anything to do with that," Gronkowski said.

"Our running back got stripped in the corner and Myles Jack picked it up and was going to the house. That would have been a touchdown. That would have basically been the game. But it was such a bam-bam play, and back then it wasn’t like all these reviews. When it’s that fast, you couldn’t tell in the moment. But when you go slow motion, you can’t sit there and say he was down."

This won't make Jaguars fans feel any better. In fact, it will probably do the exact opposite. But what can't be argued is that the Jaguars and Jack were never in the wrong, and the Jaguars should have made their first Super Bowl appearance.

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