It was a double dose of heartbreak for the Jaguars on Sunday.
For the fans, it was a gut punch for the future.
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For the team, it was another low in a season full of them.
The losing streak reached 11, the worst single-season skid in franchise history, with a 27-24 loss in the final two minutes of overtime to the Vikings. It continued to show progress for the team since coming off of its bye week. Jacksonville has lost four of five games in that span by four points or less.
With the Jaguars’ season a total loss at the point, attention was clearly split on two games — Jacksonville’s and the Jets-Raiders.
The Raiders won 31-28 with a 46-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds to play, keeping the Jets locked into the No. 1 pick. A New York win — which looked guaranteed after the Jets stopped the Raiders inside the 10 with 1 minute, 47 seconds to play — would have elevated the Jaguars into the top spot in the draft and put them in position to potentially selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Fifteen minutes later, the Vikings (6-6) sewed up the win.
Harrison Smith intercepted Mike Glennon on Jacksonville’s third play of overtime and the Vikings fended off the Jaguars’ upset bid with a 23-yard field goal from Dan Bailey.
Bailey had missed a 51-yard field goal try to try and win it in the fourth quarter and also missed two point-after tries in the game.
The Jaguars (1-11) return home next week for a Week 14 game against the Titans trying to snap an 11-game losing streak.
That the Jaguars were into the extra period was courtesy of Bailey and some late-game effort by Glennon.
After Chris Conley lost a fumble after a catch at the Jaguars 44 with 5:39 to play, it felt like things were sealed. Four plays later, Bailey booted a 48-yard field goal to give Minnesota a 24-16 edge.
But the Jaguars didn’t relent.
Glennon marched the Jaguars down the field and James Robinson banged in from the 1. Glennon found Collin Johnson for the two-point conversion to tie things at 24-all with 1:08 to play. The Vikings would trot out Bailey for a 51-yard go-ahead field goal try with 18 seconds to go. He missed. Then Jacksonville gave Chase McLaughlin a 62-yard attempt with 1 second left to win it. He missed.
Even though the Vikings went backwards on their opening drive of overtime, Glennon’s interception bailed them out and Cousins and Dalvin Cook marched the Vikings inside the 5 on the final overtime drive for Bailey’s winner.
Glennon struggled in his second start, going 28 for 42 with 280 yards and a touchdown. He turned the ball over three times though, and all three led to Minnesota points.
Jacksonville was the stronger team for a half, jumping out to a 9-0 lead and then getting a 43-yard interception return by Joe Schobert to open the second half to go up by 10.
That 16-6 lead wouldn’t last.
Kirk Cousins marched the Vikings right down the field on the ensuing drive and tossed a 12-yard touchdown to C.J. Ham. Cousins’ next scoring pass came after that, this one a 20-yarder to Justin Jefferson for a 19-16 lead.
Defense is what tipped the scales for the Vikings.
Glennon struggled in his second start, losing a fumble and throwing an interception in regulation, both of those setting up Minnesota touchdowns. And even when the Jaguars caught a break, things went sideways.
Myles Jack recovered a Dalvin Cook fumble at the Jaguars 2, but Glennon was sacked for a safety two plays later.
The Jaguars got a break on the opening drive of the game when a deflected pass went right into Laviska Shenault’s hands in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown.
Jacksonville’s defense played far better than normal. Dawuane Smoot was in on two first-half sacks of Cousins and Joe Schobert started the second half with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown.