Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars were trailing the Los Angeles Chargers 27-7 at halftime. The quarterback had thrown for an unprecedented four interceptions in the first half. They were struggling. However, led by head coach Doug Pederson’s strategy and some proactive offense, the team recovered and won the wild-card game 31-30 at the TIAA Bank Stadium.
Quarter-wise breakdown of Jacksonville Jaguars’ win against the Los Angeles Chargers:
Quarter 1: Jacksonville 0-17 Los Angeles
Quarter 2: Jacksonville 7-10 Los Angeles
Quarter 3: Jacksonville 13-3 Los Angeles
Quarter 4: Jacksonville 11-0 Los Angeles
Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence struggled all through the first half. He had four interceptions and threw for 77 yards and one touchdown with only a 24.5 passer rating. In the second half, he turned it around. The 23-year-old recorded 211 yards for three touchdowns with a 144.5 passer rating.
The quarterback also engineered the winning drive, which was highlighted by Travis Etienne’s 25-yard run on a fourth-and-1 play. At 28-30, Riley Patterson’s 36-yard field goal on the final play capped a 27-point comeback, the third largest in playoff history.
The Jaguars became the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a playoff game with a turnover differential of minus-5 or worse. Teams with that margin had been 0-19.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Lawrence said. “If we’re going to win that game, digging ourselves a hole like that, you’ve got to score a lot of points. By doing that, your quarterback’s got to play well. So I clearly didn’t have much of a choice.
“These guys have sacrificed way too much for me to be the reason we lose an opportunity. That’s what I was thinking about. I know I’m going to make the plays. I’ve just got to get back on track. The guys around me made plays. It’s not just me.”
