Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) tackles Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13), who can’t hang on to a pass and was apparently injured on the play and had to leave the game during the fourth quarter Sunday at EverBank Stadium. The Packers edged the Jaguars 30-27 on a last-second field goal. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Jags Leave Too Much Time On Clock, Fall To Packers

Adam Edelin October 28, 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL 150 Views

JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Jaguars fell, 30-27, to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at EverBank Stadium.

Despite mounting a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville left too much time on the clock. Tied at 27-27, the Packers went 68 yards in just under two minutes. A chip-shot field goal with time expiring won the game for Green Bay to extend it win streak to four games.

Slow First Half

Packers QB Jordan Love injured his groin on the game’s first possession, yet continued playing through the first half.

Green Bay (6-2) scored first, but not until the second quarter. A pick by cornerback Xavier McKinney, his league-leading sixth interception , set up the Packers just outside the red zone. Jacksonville (2-6) initially made a stop, but pass interference by cornerback Montaric Brown gave Green Bay first-and-goal at the 3. Running back Josh Jacobs took it up the middle for the score.

The Jaguars let Green Bay score once more before adding points of their own. Down 10-0, QB Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense yielded their first red-zone appearance of the game. They went 70 yards and capped it with a Lawrence 6-yard rushing TD.

Two more field goals by both teams set the score 13-10 at half.

Love Exits, Scoring Heats Up

The second half saw more scoring and tighter offensive play by both squads.

Love had to exit the game during Green Bay’s first drive, no longer able to play on his injury. Backup QB Malik Willis, who has seen lots of playing time this season, entered for the Packers. Willis started two games in September when Love was sidelined with a knee sprain.

Although Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur sang praises for Willis in his postgame news conference, the coaching staff’s trust in Willis remains unseen. Willis attempted just five passes, completing four of them for 56 yards and a TD.

A 93-yard touchdown drive gave the Jags a 17-13 lead early in the third, but Green Bay responded with an 80-yard drive highlighted by Jacobs’ 38-yard TD run. Jacobs had one his best games of the season, boasting 125 yards and two TDs.

On the Jags’ next drive, a costly fumble by Lawrence gave the Packers possession at Jacksonville’s 5-yard line. Willis threw his only TD to tight end Tucker Kraft to give Green Bay a 27-17 lead.

Too Little Too … Early

A pair of stops by Jacksonville’s defense plus a fourth-quarter field goal brought the Jags within a score, down 27-20.

With 3:50 left in the game, Lawrence showed why he was the first overall pick a few years ago. He torched Green Bay’s secondary, slinging 87 passing yards in just eight plays. The comeback drive ended with his 14-yard TD pass to tight end Evan Engram. Lawrence’s touch pass was a beauty, floating right between three Packer defenders.

Jacksonville elected for the extra point to tie the game at 27-all.

The Jags left too much time on the clock for Green Bay. With 1:48 remaining, Willis and the Packers marched down the field. Busted coverage let Willis find receiver Jalen Reed wide open for a 51 yard completion. Down to Jacksonville’s 6-yard-line, Green Bay kneeled it out to set up the game winning 24-yard field goal.

Jags Can’t Get In Sync

After a promising 9-8 season where they just missed the payoffs last season, expectations were high. Not too high, but higher than 2-6.

Every week is a new issue. If the defense is locked in, the offense struggles to score, and vise versa. One week penalties kill Jacksonville, the next week it’s turnovers.

Both turnovers for the Jags were in the Packers’ red zone, allowing two easy scores. It cost them the game, coach Doug Pederson explained.

 “These games come down to about two plays, three plays. Can’t give the ball away like we did late deep in our own end … there are some things that we need to clean up and continue to clean up if we want to get back on track.”

Injuries

To worsen matters for the Jaguars, several injures beat them while they were down:

Up Next

The Jaguars play at the Philadelphia Eagles at 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday (NBC).

The Packers host the Detroit Lions at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX).

Tags

About Adam Edelin

Check Also

Pat Dooley’s Back Nine: Napier’s Vision For Gators On Display Against LSU

The Back Nine comes at you after the best birthday weekend in my 70 years …

© 2024 WRUF / Division of Multimedia Properties