Pictured above: Trevor Lawrence celebrating following a very improbable comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers (picture from News4Jax)
On January 14, 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars came into TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL, ready to play their first playoff game since an AFC Championship appearance in the 2017 season. This would be generational quarterback prospect and 2021 first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence's first playoff game in his career. However, to open the game, Lawrence would throw 4 interceptions in the first half, the first of those 4 being on his first throw of the game.
Before the 2-minute warning of the second quarter, Lawrence was throwing 5-18, for only 35 yards, 4 interceptions, a total of 0.0 passer rating, and his team losing 27-0. The Clemson superstar who looked to be the next "GOAT" in the NFL looked instead like he should be benched for the second half. Things were made worse when a Chargers punt hit the Jaguars' Chris Claybrooks on the helmet, and the Chargers special teams recovered the ball in the red zone. The Jaguars looked like they should've never been here, and should've vacated their AFC South title. Lawrence finally threw a touchdown to Evan Engram to close out the half, trailing 27-7 at halftime.
The Los Angeles Chargers looked scary. Their cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. seemed to read every play Jags coach Doug Pederson wrote up, grabbing three of Lawrence's four interceptions in the first half. Runningback Austin Ekeler led the way with two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Justin Herbert seemed to ease his way to the 27-point lead, with 139 yards on 15-24 throwing.
Coming out of the half, Lawrence would end up leading the Jaguars to three straight touchdown drives. He looked like an all-new quarterback, the one that was drafted first overall in 2021. First, he connected with receiver Marvin Jones Jr. to cut the lead down to 13. After a Chargers drive that ended in a field goal to go up 30-14, the Jaguars came right back and scored on a 39-yard Zay Jones touchdown reception, but the 2-point conversion would fall incomplete, the lead being cut down only to 10. The Chargers would be stuck in field goal range their next drive but would miss a Cameron Dicker field goal from 40 yards on 4th and 3, instead of going for a 1st down.
Pictured above: Lawrence diving over the Chargers' defensive line for a very important 2-point conversion (picture from Yahoo! Sports)
The Jaguars found themselves down 10 with momentum. Lawrence led a 9-play drive to march down the field, ending in a 9-yard touchdown throw to Christian Kirk, the score now 30-26. With the potential to be down only 3 with a 1-point kick, risk-taker Doug Pederson decided to call for a 2-point conversion once again. Surely enough, Lawrence would rush right up the middle, spotting the ball inside the end zone. Before viewers knew it, the Jaguars were now only down 2, with a great chance to win the game.
A 7-yard sack by Roy Robertson-Harris on Justin Herbert seemed to end the Chargers' last chance at a game-solidifying drive before it even began. The Chargers were forced to punt on 4th and 5 at their own 30 yard line. The Jaguars would find themselves around mid-field in the middle of their final drive, on 4th and 1 after an incomplete pass. Instead of an inevitable QB sneak, Lawrence would hand the ball off the Travis Etienne Jr., who went around the offensive line and saw an opening, running 25 yards up the field for a first down plus more.
Letting the clock run, it was up to Jags kicker Riley Patterson to end the game for the Chargers with a 36-yard field goal. As the clock hit 0:00, a Patterson kick just barely stayed within the uprights, leading to an ending in a truly historic comeback. Winning 31-30, the Jaguars sent themselves to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, once down 27-0. According to ESPN, the Jaguars ended up making the third-largest postseason comeback ever, beat only by a 28-point comeback by the Indianapolis Colts over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013, and a 32-point comeback by the Buffalo Bills over the Houston Oilers in 1992. This win also continued a winning streak for the Jaguars, now winning 7 games in a row.
Pictured above: A screenshot of Joey Bosa (#97) being restrained after slamming his helmet, leading to a game-altering penalty (picture from The Big Lead)
The Los Angeles Chargers seemed to collapse in the second half. CBS Sports states that "Herbert threw for just 134 yards and zero touchdowns in the second half, while Ekeler didn't gain a single yard on the ground in the final two quarters." The Chargers would have 4 drives in the second half, which resulted in a punt, field goal, missed field goal, and 3 and out, respectively. As well as this, star Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa seemed to allow for Pederson's decision to go for 2 points after Christian Kirk's touchdown, as Bosa would slam his helmet to the ground. This resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and allowed the Jaguars to have a 2-point conversion attempt at the 1-yard line. Essentially, the Chargers seemed to shoot themselves in the foot, and some NFL fans believe play calls and system of head coach Brandon Staley is ultimately to blame.
Following the game, in an on-field interview, Lawrence would tell NBC Sports, "You couldn't write a crazier script. We said in the locker room that’s kind of how our season’s going. We’re never out of the fight."
For those who love absurd fun facts, Lawrence apparently has yet to lose a football game on a Saturday, dating all the way back to 2014. That streak continued here in his strange playoff debut.
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