The Jaguars defeated the Chargers 31-30 on Saturday, capping a 27-point comeback with a game-winning field goal by Riley Patterson. Here’s what you need to know:
- Jacksonville outscored Los Angeles 24-3 in the second half after going down 27-0 in the second quarter to complete the third-largest comeback win in NFL postseason history.
- Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence finished with four touchdowns and 288 yards after throwing four interceptions in the first half.
- Jacksonville elected to go for the two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to cut the Los Angeles lead to two points, setting up the game-winning field goal.
- The victory boosted the Jaguars’ chances of winning the AFC to 20.9 percent, according to the model built by The Athletic’s Austin Mock. Their projected chance to win the Super Bowl has increased to 10.3 percent, fifth among the 12 remaining playoff teams.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Lawrence outstanding in second half
While Lawrence’s performance — a 0.0 passer rating through eight series — was a major reason the Jaguars faced such an astronomical deficit, it was the biggest reason for their comeback. He was 23-of-29 for 253 yards, four touchdowns and a 142.6 passer rating as the Jaguars scored on each of their final five possessions.
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Aside from the deficit, the Jaguars won despite losing the turnover battle, 5-0, which makes this an even more improbable comeback. — Howe
Resilient Jaguars do it again
The Jaguars have been resilient all season. They started 2-6 and were 3.5 games behind the Titans in the AFC South before winning seven of their final nine regular-season games to clinch the division and return to the playoffs for the first time in five years.
They also erased 17-point deficits against the Raiders and Cowboys and a 10-point deficit in the season finale against the Titans. They believe in Lawrence and themselves, and that’s a recipe for special things to happen. It was obvious they never quit Saturday night, even though it looked like an incredible long shot. One play can turn into two, and the snowball never stopped rolling. — Howe
Chargers’ massive collapse
It is impossible to overstate the magnitude of this Charger collapse. Up 27-0, the Chargers wilted in every phase. They could not run the ball effectively to take time off the clock. They busted coverages in the secondary and failed to stop the run defensively, most notably on Travis Etienne’s fourth down rush that effectively sealed the game.
They played poorly in the second half, but they set themselves up for failure in the first half by not putting this game away despite five — yes, count them: five — takeaways, including three that set the offense up inside the 20. An unraveling of mind-numbing proportions. — Popper
Will Staley survive this?
When a team loses like that, every facet of the football operation must be questioned, starting with the head coach. Will Brandon Staley survive this catastrophe? We will see in the coming days.
His defense forced four takeaways in the first half and helped build a 27-0 lead. That unit made too many mistakes in the second half. But the biggest issue was the offense’s failure to capitalize enough on the turnovers in the first half and run the ball to milk the clock in the second half.
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Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s offense did not perform well enough this season. Injuries were a factor, sure. But Lombardi could end up being the coach who bears the consequences of this ugly loss. — Popper
Highlight of the game
Doug Pederson with the gutsy call on 4th and one.
Playoff football.
🎥 @NFL | @Jaguars pic.twitter.com/NICFzQC6oZ
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 15, 2023
After throwing four interceptions in the first half, Trevor Lawrence has thrown three touchdowns in the second 👀
With the conversion, we now have two point game in Jacksonville.
🎥 @NFL | @Jaguars pic.twitter.com/SGyooOA7vN
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 15, 2023
Key stat
Lawrence became the second quarterback in postseason history to throw four touchdowns and four interceptions in the same game, per Stathead. The other was Ben Roethlisberger in the 2020 wild card against the Browns.
Lawrence became the second quarterback to throw four interceptions in the first half of a playoff game, joining the Broncos’ Craig Morton in Super Bowl XII.
Required reading
- ‘No one flinched’: Why Lawrence, Jaguars knew they could pull off epic comeback, stun Chargers
- Brandon Staley’s Chargers left stunned after Jaguars’ historic comeback: ‘We choked’
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)