Cardiac Cats make a comeback: Jaguars get 26-24 road win in Denver

It can sometimes be a cliche to say a game was a game of two halves, but sometimes cliches are the only way to appropiately describe what just unfolded. This was the case for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) as they won a wild 26-24 bout against the Denver Broncos (0-4) at Mile High Stadium on Sunday.

Long before rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew led an eight-play, 60-yard drive with 92 seconds left in the game to set up a 33-yard game winning Josh Lambo field goal, the Jaguars were in disarray on both sides of the ball.

The Jaguars defense, fresh off of two dominant straight dominant performances against AFC South foes, was asleep at the wheel in the first half, allowing Denver quarterback Joe Flacco to throw two touchdowns and build a 17-6 halftime lead.

Meanwhile, the offense was being constantly derailed by an offensive line that committed penalty after penalty and allowed the Broncos to have three first half sacks.

A prime example was an 18-yard DJ Chark touchdown being negated by a hands to the face penalty against left tackle Cam Robinson in the final moments of the first half, making the Jaguars walk into a 17-6 deficit at halftime instead of 17-10.

But in the second half, the Jaguars defense stiffened aside from allowing a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. They forced several three and outs and forced Flacco to rush more throws than he did in the first half.

The biggest change in the second half, however, was the Jaguars offense. They still committed too many penalties, with the team ultimately committing 12 penalties for 104 yards, but the rushing game came alive in a big way and Minshew led the team on lengthy drives on multiple occasions.

Running back Leonard Fournette finished with a career high 225 rushing yards on only 29 carries, with an 81-yard run in third quarter highlighting his day. He moved the chains time after time and despite not finding the end zone, the Jaguars offense flowed through him.

As a team, the Jaguars ran for 269 yards on 38 carries, a 7.1 yards per carry average. Rookie Ryquell Armstead contributed 42 yards on eight carries and caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Minshew, capping off an impressive day for the rookie back out of Temple.

RB Leonard Fournette @_fournette) has now set a new career-high with 211 rushing yards (and counting).

Most by any RB in the NFL this season.

He now joins @FredTaylorMade (234) as the only players in @Jaguars history with 200+ in a game.
— Tad Dickman (@TDickman89) September 29, 2019

But as good as the running game was, the story around the game will most certainly be about Minshew's first-ever road win and comeback win.

Minshew finished the day 19-for-33 for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns, a modest day for him compared to his previous starts, but he excelled against pressure and made plays when the team needed it, such as a 32-yard toss to Dede Westbrook on the game's final drive to put the team in field goal position.

In the first half, it did not look like the Jaguars would be walking out of Denver with a 2-2 record and still firmly in the AFC South race. But after the final 30 minutes, the team showed they are able to fight back and overcome adversity, something they failed to do in 2018.

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