Week 11 review

The Jaguars improved to 6-4 after a stunning blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers. From beginning to end the Jaguars had total control of the game and never relinquished it.

The Jaguars defense would be on the field first to start the game. On the first play of the game, the defensive line got immediate pressure, forcing Herbert into an intentional grounding. This penalty quickly ended the drive, forcing a three-and-out.

After a 10-play, 47-yard drive, the offense stalled out, failing to convert on 4th down. Trevor Lawrence missed Jakobi Meyers downfield, giving the Chargers the ball at their own 42-yard line. The defense was able to hold their own once again, holding the Chargers to a 35-yard drive on 9 plays. Cameron Dicker made a 41-yard field goal to give the Chargers a 3-0 lead.

This time, the Jaguars put together a complete drive, going on a 6-play, 74-yard drive. On the fifth play of the drive, Lawrence threw a deep shot to Parker Washington, which fell incomplete but drew a pass interference penalty, giving the Jaguars 31 yards. Bhayshul Tuten would take the next two carries for 15 yards and a touchdown, giving the Jaguars a 7-3 lead in the final seconds of the first quarter.

The defense held firm once again, forcing a three-and-out, with the Chargers losing 5 yards on the drive. On the first play of the drive, Trevor Lawrence was picked off by cornerback Donte Jackson, giving the Chargers the ball at the Jaguars 42-yard line. Despite being put in a tough position, the defense forced a field goal, allowing just 14 yards on 9 plays.

Despite a poor turnover on the previous possession, the offense did not blink. A 9-play, 60-yard drive ending in a Travis Etienne touchdown would extend the lead to 8, going up 14-6. This momentum carried through the end of the half, with the defense forcing a punt once again. The Jaguars would go into halftime leading 14-6.

To open the half, the Jaguars offense would continue its excellent play, putting together an 11-play drive that took over 7 minutes. Trevor Lawrence ran in for a 1-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 21-6. They would get the ball right back after just 1:54 of game time. The defense forced a three-and-out in under 2 minutes, and this would be the only possession the Chargers would have in the entire third quarter.

The Jaguars would convert on one of their longest drives of the season, going 76 yards in 16 plays. Trevor Lawrence would complete a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick, extending the lead to 28-6. On the very next play, Antonio Johnson would intercept Justin Herbert, returning the ball 44 yards all the way to the Jaguars 13-yard line.

Travis Etienne would score on the very next play, giving the Jaguars a 35-6 lead. Trey Lance entered the game for the Chargers and would have the final two drives of the game ending in a turnover on downs. The Jaguars offense would have a turnover on downs and then ended the game on a kneeldown. A shocking 35-6 win would put the Jaguars right back into playoff contention at 6-4.

The good

The Jaguars did nearly everything right in this game. From start to finish they controlled the game on both lines of scrimmage, and it led to the most dominant victory for the franchise in years.

The run game got back to its early-season form, with Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten combining for 34 carries for 147 yards. Tuten had by far his best game of the season and made a huge case for himself to get more carries going forward. Because of the dominant run game, the offense controlled the ball for a large portion of the game, winning the time of possession battle 37:55 to 22:05.

On defense, it was complete domination; whether it was run defense, pass defense, or creating pressure, the Jaguars defense made life a nightmare in all 3 phases on the defensive end.

Coming into the game, the Jaguars were the league leaders in penalties per game at 9.2 but committed just 1 for 5 yards in this one. Drives were sustained much more and allowed for the offense to stay in rhythm playing ahead of the sticks. Another problem the offense had been facing was sacks. Trevor Lawrence had been sacked 20 times over the previous four games but was kept completely clean against the Chargers, not taking a sack and only being hit twice.

While his numbers may not be off the charts, Trevor Lawrence played very well. After his interception to begin the second quarter, Lawrence finished the game going 10/15 for 111 yards and 2 total touchdowns. A big key to his success was the offense's third-down conversion rate. The Jaguars had been one of the worst third-down teams all season but went 5/10 against the Chargers. The most damning stat was that the Jaguars did not punt a single time, the first time the franchise had done so since 2010.

Conclusion

Just a week after the season seemed to be heading towards life support, they have now completely flipped the script with a dominant win over an AFC playoff contender. With the next two games against the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars can put themselves right back into the AFC playoff picture. This game was a huge momentum boost, and we will see if it carries over through the next few weeks.

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