Jack Andersen
As Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence tripped after the snap with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, it continued to look less likely that the Jacksonville Jaguars could pull off a win. But miraculously, Jacksonville’s offensive line managed to give Lawrence enough time to return to his feet, find the gap and rush for a 1-yard touchdown. The Jaguars won 31-28, improving to 4-1. Kansas City moved to 2-3 with the loss.
The Chiefs had a 14-0 lead over Jacksonville at one point in the second quarter. The first touchdown came after Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce on a flat route in the end zone.
With 13:41 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the Jaguars sat at fourth and goal on Kansas City’s 1-yard line. Jacksonville tried to run a quarterback sneak with Lawrence, but not before linebacker Nick Bolton poked the ball out of Lawrence’s hands, which flew up in the air to be retrieved by George Karlaftis. It was starting to look like Kansas City could pull away.
Neither team in this game played particularly clean football. Mahomes made several crucial mistakes, leading to more opportunities for Jacksonville down the stretch. The one that will likely come to most fans’ minds is the 99-yard pick-six that was returned by Devin Lloyd. This concluded Jacksonville’s unanswered 21-point run and gave them the first lead of the night.
Mahomes also seemed to miss Tyquan Thornton and Xavier Worthy on plenty of deep balls this game, but this isn’t to say Mahomes played poorly. He once again led his team in rushing yards, with an incredible display of pocket presence and awareness. He was constantly hitting the slot for first downs, moving the ball up the field when it mattered most. But Mahomes isn’t a one-man army; contributions from players like Creed Humphrey and Josh Simmons are what kept this game so close. They allowed for zero sacks on Mahomes this game, while simultaneously giving him the time and space he needed for his big rushing plays.
Jacksonville felt somewhat the opposite; they won this game on the back of their defense. Lloyd had another stellar game with the-pick six. Foyesade Oluokun was phenomenal with 14 tackles, six more than the second leader in tackles on the night, Eric Murray.
Travis Hunter, who played 16 more defensive snaps than he did last week, proved to be a reliable option at cornerback. Another development in this game was Brian Thomas Jr. He’s had an incredibly slow start to the season, but has started to pick things up over the past two weeks. He had 80 yards this game, with 13.3 yards per target, his highest mark of the season. Things are starting to click for Jacksonville.
With moments like the Bolton forced fumble, Hunter’s catch over Bryan Cook and the miracle to end the game by Lawrence, it’s not hard to consider this a Monday night classic. Kansas City hosts the 4-1 Detroit Lions next week, while Jacksonville hosts the 3-2 Seattle Seahawks.
Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]
Copy edited by Emma Harper | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]