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Jaguars post largest comeback in franchise history. Here's how they rallied vs. Chargers
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- Jaguars post largest comeback in franchise history. Here's how they rallied vs. Chargers
With four seconds remaining in the contest, Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Riley Patterson lined up to kick a 36-yard field goal to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers , 31-30 as the clock expired.
He nailed it.
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The Jaguars are onto the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Jaguars overcame a 27-point deficit in the first half to defeat the Chargers. It was their largest come-from-behind victory in team history .
It was the third-largest comeback victory in NFL playoff history.
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A stunning rally: Jaguars shock the world, defeat Chargers 31-30 and advance to divisional round of playoffs
Gene Frenette: Resilience of Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars shines in historic comeback
It also added to the growing trend of the Jaguars — fall behind early and overcome late. The Jaguars have mustered come-from-behind victories against the Las Vegas Raiders , Baltimore Ravens , Tennessee Titans (twice) and the Dallas Cowboys to go along with this playoff win.
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None were as impressive as their victory in the wild-card round of the playoffs against the Chargers.
Prior to the contest, the Chargers ruled out receiver Mike Williams . Williams injured his back during the team's Week 18 loss to the Denver Broncos . The L.A. receiver did not participate in practice throughout the week and was eventually ruled out on Friday. He did not travel with the team to Jacksonville.
The Jaguars entered the week with several players as questionable but did not rule anyone out due to injury.
The team's inactive list consisted of the same players it did last week, receiver Kendric Pryor cornerback Montaric Brown, CB Gregory Junior, outside linebacker De'Shaan Dixon and defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter .
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Jacksonville entered the contest having won their last five games with the Chargers winning four out of their final five games to become the AFC's fifth seed.
Trevor Lawrence bounces back after poor first half
When it looked like Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence's night would end in disappointment, the second-year QB found a way to bounce back from four early interceptions.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) sets back to pass during the first half of an NFL wild-card football game, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in Jacksonville.
Going into and during the second half of the contest, Lawrence completed 15-of-17 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns to claw Jacksonville back to within 10 points, down 30-20 with one quarter left in the game.
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Lawrence began the contest by completing just 5-of-18 passes for 35 yards and four interceptions.
He finished the game completing 28-of-47 passes for 288 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.
Interceptions derail Jaguars' offense early in the contest
According to The Boston Globe's Ben Volin, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence became the first QB to throw three interceptions in the first quarter of a playoff game. Six other QBs had thrown two, including Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger. He threw a fourth in the second quarter of the contest.
The Jaguars began the ball game with the football and quickly gave it back to Los Angeles. Chargers defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day tipped a Lawrence pass up and linebacker Drue Tranquill picked it off with just a minute removed from the start of the contest.
Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (26) breaks up a pass intended for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. (11) during late second quarter action. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in their first round playoff game Saturday, January 14, 2023 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars trailed 27 to 7 at the half. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
Lawrence entered Sunday's game having thrown just two interceptions since Week 9 of the regular season.
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The Chargers quickly turned Jacksonville's mistake into a touchdown, running it in from 13 yards out with running back Austin Ekeler .
On Jacksonville's ensuing drive, the team went for it on 4th-and-7 from the Chargers' 33-yard-line. Targeting receiver Zay Jones , Lawrence threw his second interception of the game, this time to Chargers DB Asante Samuel Jr.
The Chargers scored a field goal to extend their lead to 10-0 early in the first quarter. It was the fourth time in nine games to close the season that Jacksonville went down by at least 10 points early in the contest.
L.A. took advantage of Lawrence's final interception of the first quarter with a second TD run by Ekeler, extending their lead to 17-0.
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Evan Engram , Travis Etienne show up big in comeback win
Though the Jaguars lost the contest, Engram was one of the bright spots on Jacksonville's offense. He finished the game with seven catches for 93 yards and a TD.
Jaguars running back Travis Etienne rushed the ball 20 times for 109 yards for a 5.5 yards per carry average.
Jaguars defense showed up despite poor starting field position
The Jaguars' defense showed up against the Chargers despite the Chargers beginning three drives in Jaguars' territory due to turnovers.
The Chargers began drives at the Jacksonville 18, 16 and six-yard lines during the first half of the contest. They converted those three drives into two touchdowns and a field goal - 17 points.
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tre Herndon pressures Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
Still, Jacksonville's defense forced the Chargers to punt four times, while holding them to four field goal attempts on other drives. The longest drive given up by Jacksonville was 67 yards, a drive that began at the Chargers' 38-yard line in the first half of the contest.
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Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82 .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Takeaways from Jacksonville Jaguars' NFL playoff win vs. LA Chargers
