Jaguars Vs Cardinals review
The Jaguars defeated the Cardinals 27-24 in a back and forth game that saw both teams make self inflicted mistakes. It was not a pretty win, but they improve 7-4 and now sit just one game beind the Colts for first place in the AFC South.
The Cardinals would begin the game on offense. After getting the ball past midfield with relative ease, Dennis Gardek sacked Jacoby Brissett on third down to force a punt that would pin the Jaguars offense inside their own 3-yard line. Despite this poor field position, the offense managed to cruise to an easy touchdown, going 97 yards in just 4 plays to go up 7-0. Travis Etienne accounted for 60 scrimmage yards on the last two plays of the drive with a 45-yard run and a 15-yard touchdown catch.
Once again the Cardinals would move the ball with ease, getting the ball to the Jaguars 35-yard line before getting sacked on second down to take them out of field goal range. They would pin the Jaguars inside their own 8-yard line, this time taking full advantage. On third down, Trevor Lawrence was strip-sacked and recovered for a touchdown to tie the game 7-7.
On the ensuing drive, they would go 31 yards in 10 plays before kicking a 52-yard field goal to go up 10-7. Outside of two scrambles from Trevor Lawrence to pick up 28 yards, the offense struggled to put much together, but it was enough to get points out of it.
After two forced punts in the first quarter, the defense was not able to do it a third time, allowing a 9-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that ended in a Zonovan Knight 1-yard score to go up 14-10. The Jaguars could not respond, going three-and-out on the following possession.
The Cardinals would get the ball with a chance to extend the lead, and it appeared they were going to do just that. A 16-play, 72-yard drive would get them all the way down to the Jaguars 15 before kicking a 33-yard field goal, which Chad Ryland would miss, keeping the score at 14-10 just before halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Trevor Lawrence and the offense would continue to shoot themselves in the foot, with Lawrence's pass being tipped, which led to Garrett Williams intercepting the pass in the end zone. The drive looked promising, going 51 yards in just 4 plays and getting to the Cardinals 6-yard line, but it ended with no points.
This time, the defense would bail out the offense, forcing a quick three-and-out. Parker Washington would return the punt 43 yards, giving the offense the ball at the Cardinals 27-yard line. In just 6 plays, they would capitalize on this great field position with Jakobi Meyers catching a 10-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead at 17-14.
The defense stepped up once again, forcing a punt after Dennis Gardeck and Devin Lloyd sacked Jacoby Brissett for 17 yards on third down. After just three plays, Trevor Lawrence would give it right back with another interception, with this one coming in his own territory. For the third straight time, the defense would come through, forcing a punt and the drive ending in negative yardage.
After just 5 plays, the offense had to punt, failing to take advantage of the defense's best efforts. The next two drives were the same story as before, with the defense forcing a quick punt before Trevor Lawrence threw his third interception of the game and the second inside his own territory.
This time, the defense finally broke, allowing a 39-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the drive. The score was now 21-17 Cardinals. Despite having four turnovers in the game, Trevor Lawrence remained resiliant, putting together a 6-play, 65-yard drive ending in a 9-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington to go ahead 24-21.
With the game on the line, the defense shut the Cardinals down, forcing a turnover on downs inside their 30-yard line. The offense had the ball with 1:58 remaining at the Cardinals 28-yard line to put the game away. On fourth down, Liam Coen made the controversial decision to go for it on fourth down to ice the game. They failed to convert, giving the Cardinals a chance to tie the game with 1:38 left. After getting all the way down to the Jaguars 11, they kicked a field goal with 6 seconds left to tie the game at 24, sending it into overtime.
Trevor Lawrence and the offense would get the ball to begin overtime. After getting to the Cardinals 36-yard line in just two plays, the drive stalled out, ending with a Cam Little 52-yard field goal to go up 27-24. Now it was the defense's turn to win the game. After getting to midfield with relative ease, the defense iced the game, forcing an incompletion on fourth down at their own 42 to win 27-24. The Jaguars now sit at 7-4 at 2nd place in the AFC South, one game behind the Indianapolis Colts.
The good
Travis Etienne was once again excellent, rushing for 86 yards on 15 carries, as well as catching 3 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. In Brenton Strange's first game back, he made an immediate impact, catching 5 passes for 93 yards. Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers stepped up in Brian Thomas Jr.'s absence, combining for 9 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
On paper the defense did not play great, but this is a classic case of the statistics not telling the entire story. While they allowed a lot of yards, they only allowed 17 points. The biggest reason for this was the pressure they generated and stopping them on third downs. The Jaguars sacked Brissett 6 times for 44 yards and held the Cardinals to 5-16 on third downs and 1-3 on fourth down.
Trevor Lawrence continued to stay poised despite committing four turnovers, scoring 17 points after committing a turnover the previous drive. No matter how the game goes, Lawrence showed once again he is unfazed and can lead game-winning drives when it matters most.
The bad
Despite the impressive poise Trevor Lawrence displayed, he still had four turnovers, with the first one giving the Cardinals a free 7 points. The interceptions he made were simply inexcusable for a player in his fifth year, and if this team is to make a run, they simply can't happen.
After having just one penalty against the Chargers, they reverted back to their old ways with 7 penalties for 60 yards. The same can be said for third down conversions, going just 3-11 after going 5-10 the previous week.
Liam Coen made an awful mistake at the end of the game that nearly cost the Jaguars the game. With the ball at the Cardinals 20-yard line, up 27-24, kicking an easy field goal would have nearly ended the game, but Coen elected to go for it, failing to convert and giving the Cardinals life. They nearly capitalized on this opportunity, getting the ball all the way to the Jaguars 11-yard line before kicking a field goal to tie the game. This was an unnecessarily aggressive move that could've ended in disaster.
Conclusion
It was another ugly win, but a win nonetheless. Trevor Lawrence atoned for his mistakes with the defense stepping up most when they needed to to get to 7-4 and 2nd place in the AFC South. The Jaguars will travel to Tennessee in week 13 to face the hated division rival Titans in a game that could help propel the Jaguars into true AFC playoff contention.