ClutchPoints
In the NFL, signature wins separate the pretenders from the contenders. In week 5, the Jacksonville Jaguars just earned theirs. Under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, against the five-time AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs, the Jaguars delivered a performance that was as chaotic as it was courageous. It wasn’t perfect. In fact, it was anything but. In the moments that mattered most, though, Jacksonville made the plays that championship-caliber teams make.
This win was a declaration. For years, the Jaguars have been the team that hovers on the edge of greatness, only to slip when the spotlight shines brightest. Not this time. Trevor Lawrence led a fearless late drive, and the defense made a game-changing play of its own. With those, Jacksonville rallied from 14 points down to stun the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-28, in front of a roaring home crowd at EverBank Stadium.
With the victory, the Jaguars improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2017 They are now tied atop the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts. The Jags are now very much in the conversation as one of the conference’s most complete teams.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss how the Jacksonville Jaguars proved they’re contender material after beating the Chiefs.
Trevor Lawrence accounted for three touchdowns. That included a 1-yard game-winning run with 23 seconds left, as the Jaguars clawed back from their two-touchdown first-half deficit. Lawrence threw for one touchdown, ran for two, and willed his team across the finish line in dramatic fashion.
Kansas City appeared to have the game in hand after running back Kareem Hunt scored from two yards out with 1:45 remaining to give the Chiefs a 28-24 lead. However, Lawrence and head coach Liam Coen’s offense didn’t blink. In seven plays, Jacksonville stormed 60 yards downfield. This drive was aided by clutch completions of 33 yards to Brian Thomas Jr. and 13 yards to Dyami Brown. A pass interference penalty in the end zone set the stage for Lawrence’s unforgettable tackle-breaking plunge that sent EverBank Stadium into chaos.
“What a crazy finish,” Lawrence said afterward. “They’re a great team, always hard to beat. But to take it and go win it at the end—it was special.”
Additionally, few defenses in football are creating chaos like the Jaguars right now. Under defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, Jacksonville entered Monday with an NFL-best 13 takeaways in four games. Against Mahomes and the Chiefs, they added one more, which was a monster.
On first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Mahomes looked for JuJu Smith-Schuster on a slant. Devin Lloyd read the play perfectly, jumped the route, and took the ball the length of the field for a stunning 99-yard pick-six. In an instant, the Jaguars went from being on the ropes to holding the lead.
It was the kind of play that defines a defense with swagger and situational awareness. Even...
