It wasn’t pretty, but the Jaguars found a way to get it done.
Jacksonville shook off a sluggish first half and four big Trevor Lawrence turnovers to escape Arizona 27-24 in overtime and stay in the playoff race on a Sunday afternoon thriller.
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Cam Little hit a 52-yard field goal in OT and the Jaguars swatted down a fourth-down pass inside the 10 on the ensuing drive to preserve a tense win over Arizona (3-8).
And they needed it.
After Kansas City beat Indianapolis in overtime on Sunday, Jacksonville (7-4) is right in the thick of the AFC South picture. The Jaguars visit Tennessee in Week 13, followed by a home game against the Colts on Dec. 7, whom the Jaguars trail by a game.
Facing a potential trap game against a struggling Cardinals team, the Jaguars looked anything but crisp. One week after they laid the hammer to the seven-win Chargers, the Jaguars found themselves down at halftime to a backup quarterback on a three-win team that’s staring at a high pick in the draft.
“We’re not going to apologize for winning around here. That’s not anything we’re going to do being 3-0 on the West Coast. It was one of those games that you felt like we had explosive runs then we had two-yard runs. Then we had big passes and then we had picks, head coach Liam Coen said.
“It was just one of those games where you felt like every time you kind of get momentum going, opposite maybe minus the first drive. Whether it was getting off schedule, they were doing some things on the third downs that was giving us some problems early on from a protection scheme standpoint that we needed to clean up, and we did clean that up. You always feel multiple emotions after a game but winning is what matters.”
The defense was relentless, using a blistering rush (five sacks) to make quarterback Jacoby Brissett uncomfortable all game. And Jacksonville needed that defensive muscle, because Lawrence had another uneven day (three interceptions and a lost fumble).
But Lawrence came up big when it mattered. He threaded a 9-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington with just under four minutes left to put Jacksonville in front 24-21 and then got Jacksonville into field goal range in the extra period.
Another OT game
For the second time in a month, Jacksonville headed to an extra period.
The Jaguars stopped Arizona on downs late in regulation, and had a chance to add points of their own. But Jacksonville stalled on downs — instead of kicking a field goal — at the Arizona 19 to give the Cardinals and Jacoby Brissett one final chance.
Brissett got Arizona to the Jacksonville 11, the big play a 31-yard strike to Michael Wilson with Christian Braswell in coverage with 10 seconds left. They opted for a 29-yard field goal by Chad Ryland to tie it at 24-all.
Lawrence hit Washington on the first play of overtime on a play that gained 25 yards and immediately got Jacksonville in Little’s range. Lawrence had a shot to end things, but Tim Patrick didn’t turn around on a third-down throw that would have gone for major yardage, and Jacksonville had to settle for a Little field goal.
Arizona got its chance in OT and found itself in a fourth-and-4 situation at the Jacksonville 42, and outside of Ryland’s field goal range. Brissett, starting in place of the injured Kyler Murray, launched a deep ball to Xavier Weaver inside the 10. But Braswell and Andrew Wingard closed in on Weaver and broke up the pass to deliver another tense and tight win for Jacksonville. They edged Las Vegas 30-29 in OT earlier this month.
“Nobody flinched, nobody was walking around, head down, disappointed or frustrated,” Coen said. “You’ve got to keep playing and that’s been the message for the last few weeks is to just keep playing. These guys closed it out when we needed to.”
Fast start and then struggles
The Jaguars had an excellent opening drive, going 97 yards in four plays. Lawrence hit recently activated tight end Brenton Strange on a 30-yard gain and Travis Etienne followed with a 45-yard run that went inside the 20. Lawrence tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Etienne one play later.
The return of Strange was significant because Jacksonville was already without tight end Hunter Long and top pass catchers Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Jacksonville activated Strange from injured reserve on Saturday. He led the Jaguars with 93 yards on five catches. Etienne was excellent again, rushing for 86 yards on 15 carries and catching three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Jacksonville started strong but found itself down 14-10 at the break, and fortunate that it wasn’t more. But Ryland missed a chip shot 33-yard field goal that ruined an 18-play drive.
The defense was relentless
Dennis Gardeck had 1.5 sacks in his return to Arizona. Devin Lloyd (1.5 sacks). Antonio Johnson, DaVon Hamilton and Josh Hines-Allen also had sacks for the Jaguars. Those numbers were nice, but the pressure is what caused Brissett the biggest problems.
Jacksonville racked up 14 quarterback hits on Brissett.
Offense still struggles
Lawrence’s uneven play continued in Arizona.
Up 7-0 and pinned back inside their own 15, Lawrence dropped back to pass on third-and-6 and held on to the ball too long waiting for a receiver.
Jalen Thompson turned the corner and sacked Lawrence, popping the ball out to Walter Nolen. The rookie defensive lineman pulled the ball out of the air and made it across the goal line for a touchdown. It was the second turnover that a team has turned into points off a Lawrence giveaway in three weeks.
“We’re here to win games. We win the game; never apologize for that. People can watch the tape and make their own judgments – I’ll watch it and do the same," Lawrence said.
“Had some tough plays out there. Those guys make good plays as well. I have to be smart with the ball. Obviously, we had four turnovers and they were all on me. I own that. I have to do my job, take care of the ball and not put our defense in tough spots. Totally get that. I’m never going to play scared. I’m going to continue to let it rip and I think that’s why we had a chance at the end of the day is because you keep playing.”
His second giveaway was big, too. Jacksonville had a first-and-goal situation at the Arizona 6 to open the second half, but Lawrence’s pass was tipped by defensive lineman Calais Campbell and picked off in the end zone by Garrett Williams. Arizona picked Lawrence off again early in the fourth quarter, and Brissett turned that into a 39-yard touchdown pass to Greg Dortch with 7:19 to play for a 21-17 lead. Lawrence finished 18 of 30 for 256 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Big plays by young players
Rookie Bhayshul Tuten and third-year player Washington showed up big on special teams. Tuten took the opening kickoff back 39 yards to spark a drive that ended with Lawrence’s end zone pick. After Jacksonville forced Arizona to go three and out, Washington returned the punt 43 yards to the Cardinals 27. Five plays later, Lawrence hit Jakobi Meyers for a 10-yard touchdown that pushed them in front 17-14.
Washington had numerous big plays for the Jaguars, including the 9-yard touchdown catch late in regulation that put Jacksonville ahead. He had 71 yards and a touchdown on five catches.