Another moral victory. Another excruciating loss for the Jaguars.
Jacksonville roared back from a three-score deficit but couldn’t clear the final hurdle in a 28-23 loss to the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. The Jaguars had an opportunity to author an out of nowhere comeback but Trevor Lawrence’s pass was picked off in the end zone by Nakobe Dean with just under two minutes to play to seal it.
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It erased an unbelievable surge back from 22 points down to a potential win, but the Jaguars (2-7) just couldn’t get in the end zone when they had to, a familiar theme in what has become a disappointing 2024 season.
Of Jacksonville’s seven losses this season, five have been by five points or less. And this one may have been the most painful of them all.
Down 22-0, the Jaguars made a furious rally in the second half but came up short in another excruciating loss. Lawrence’s second rushing touchdown of the game got Jacksonville within 28-23 with 4 minutes, 9 seconds left, and they got it back after Philadelphia bounced a 57-field goal try off the upright. That gave the Jaguars the ball at their own 47 and plenty of time to work. They got down to the Eagles 13 and then opted to try and take a shot at a touchdown. Lawrence looked for running back D’Ernest Johnson in the front corner of the end zone, but Dean pulled it out of the air for the game-sealing pick.
Head coach Doug Pederson said that it wasn’t a rushed or hasty play at the end, and credited the Eagles linebacker for making the stop.
“I mean, you have a minute and 40 something left on the clock. I think it was first down, something like that. It’s still part of our red zone game plan,” Pederson said. “It wasn’t like we were forcing a throw into the end zone. I’m saying it was part of our red zone game plan. So great play by [Dean].”
At 2-7, Jacksonville’s playoff hopes are alive only by mathematical margins that aren’t favorable.
“There’s no quit in us,” Lawrence said. “We’re fighting every week, we’re giving ourselves a shot, and we’re not making just the last few plays.”
Offense bad early, picks up late
After four terrible showings to start the season, Lawrence had improved significantly over the past month. But that didn’t carry over against the Eagles. Lawrence and the Jaguars were as bad as they’ve been all season for two and a half quarters.
Jacksonville managed just 31 yards of offense in the opening half, the second-lowest number of yards in the first half of a game in franchise history, according to ESPN. The Jaguars punted three times, got stopped on a fourth-and-1 call from their own 39 and had an interception that bounced off Travis Etienne’s hands and was picked off on a diving grab by Zack Baun.
“We’ll look at everything, and it’s been an issue, so it’s something we have to fix. We didn’t do anything in the first half. It was just for one reason or another, there were a couple factors, but we have to improve there,” Lawrence said. “I mean, it’s just hard. I mean, obviously we gave ourselves a chance to come back and win the game, but we had to have a lot of plays go our way, and we had to make a lot of plays and put ourselves in a tough spot. And, you know, we shouldn’t have to do that every week.”
The Jaguars knew the challenges would be steep on offense. They played a banged up Brian Thomas Jr., started Parker Washington and also had to play both Tim Jones and Austin Trammell at receiver. That meant more looks for Evan Engram, who didn’t find his stride until the Jaguars trailed 22-0 in the third quarter.
Engram had a 14-yard grab that went down to the Philadelphia 1 with just over six minutes left in the third. That catch set up a Lawrence rushing touchdown. Engram caught a two-point conversion pass from Lawrence to get Jacksonville within 22-16 following Travon Walker’s fumble return for a score. Lawrence added his second rushing touchdown, a 4-yard run with 4:09 to go to get Jacksonville within 28-23. The final throw to Johnson was one he’d like to have back.
“They’re hurting. They’re disappointed like I am. Frustrated. So yeah,” Pederson said.
Lawrence finished 16 of 31 passing for 169 yards and two interceptions. Engram led Jacksonville’s pass catchers with 45 yards on five catches.
Defense sharp in spots
The much-criticized defense held its own against the Eagles, with a pair of sacks by Josh Hines-Allen and a 35-yard scoop and score from Walker in the third quarter that got Jacksonville within 22-16.
Hines-Allen had his best game of the season for Jacksonville, sacking Hurts twice. Walker gave Jacksonville a burst when he picked up a loose ball after Barkley hit the ground, stayed on his feet and rumbled his way for a 35-yard touchdown to pull the Jaguars within 22-16 with 5 minutes, 12 seconds left in the third quarter. The Jaguars needed something to get them going and Walker’s scoop and score was it.
But the Eagles were too strong. Hurts’ best throw of the game midway through the fourth quarter when he found DeVonta Smith in the back of the end zone with a step on Ronald Darby. Smith reeled in the pass with one hand and got both feet in bounds for a touchdown that made it 28-16 with 7:17 to go.
“It’s tough. It’s tough. We have to just keep fighting,” Pederson said.
Eagles get too risky
Nick Sirianni will have to answer for a few decisions against Jacksonville. He went for it at the Jaguars 22 in the second quarter and came away empty. On a fourth-and-inches call late in the third at the Jacksonville 25, Sirianni elected to call a rollout play for Hurts, who was nearly sacked by Devin Lloyd and had to throw it away to avoid a massive loss. Philadelphia was also denied on three two-point conversion attempts. Kicker Jake Elliott had his 57-yard field goal try with just over two minutes to play carom off the right upright to set Jacksonville up with a final shot for an unlikely win.
Turnovers a killer
Pederson preaches ball security and that was critical against the Eagles.
After forcing the Eagles to punt it away on their first drive of the game, the first turnover popped up. Practice squad callup Trammell lost the ball just after fielding it and the Eagles recovered it at the 20.
Hurts hit Saquon Barkley for a 20-yard touchdown strike two plays later for a 7-0 lead. When Jacksonville got the ball back following Hines-Allen’s second sack of the half, Lawrence’s pass to Travis Etienne went off his hands and was intercepted by Baun. Barkley capped that takeaway into a 19-yard touchdown run and a 16-0 lead. Barkley finished with 159 yards rushing on 27 carries.
More injuries for Jaguars
Jacksonville knew it would have to account for the multitude of injuries and absences from a brutal Week 8 against the Packers. In the wake of that game, the Jaguars traded left tackle Cam Robinson and put receiver Christian Kirk on injured reserve. They filled up the injury report with a glut of notable names against Green Bay and added more to that list against Philadelphia. The Jaguars lost guard Cooper Hodges (leg) and right tackle Anton Harrison (knee) to injury in the third quarter. Harrison was able to return in the fourth quarter.
“I was proud of the team; the way we fought and hung in there, and obviously we weren’t playing well for most of the game, especially early, and we kept fighting, we were resilient, and it’s tough, you know, you can find a way to get back in the game, and you have an opportunity, and it finishes that way,” Lawrence said. “But I mean, really, I’m super proud to be a part of that group, and it’s got a lot of fight, and we just have to find a way to finish these games. You know, we’ve had so many one score games that haven’t gone our way, because some plays down the stretch, and so it’s tough.”