Down 21-3 in the third quarter, it appeared the Jacksonville Jaguars were on the verge of getting routed on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons(5-6) at TIAA Bank Field.
However, they battled and fought and cut the lead to 21-14 in the fourth. Jacksonville had one final chance to tie the game late, but after getting a first down from their own 29, Trevor Lawrence would throw four straight incompletions, and ultimately, Jacksonville would fall to the Falcons 21-14.
With the loss, Jacksonville(2-9) has lost three straight and four out of their last five.
In two of the last three games, the Jaguars had their offense on the field with an opportunity to win or tie the game, and both times, the offense failed to get the job done, which Lawrence discussed post-game.
“Our defense two times has put us in a situation to go win the game and haven’t been able to do it,” Lawrence said. “So we’ve just got to get better and go make those plays in the biggest moments. I know we can do it, but we’ve got to go do it, and that starts with me and staying on schedule even in the two-minute. It’s tough when you get in 3rd and 4th and 10. We’ve got to get better at that, but we’re going to get some more opportunities and just keep working for when you do get it to go and execute and win the game.”
Despite the loss, Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer was happy with the team’s efforts.
“Yeah, they fought their tails off, and 84 [Cordarrelle Patterson] is a really good player for them, and he hurt us early, and then on offense, we moved the ball a little bit, just no big plays. Just none,” Meyer said. “And then, all of a sudden, we started getting some. Offensive football is a big-play — not many teams can drive the length of a field without a hit here and there, and we had some hits and scored a couple times.”
Against Atlanta, Lawrence completed 23-of-42 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown, interception, and after 11 games, Lawrence is 231-of-398 passing for 2,369 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The first overall pick has been up and down this season, but according to Meyer, Lawrence remains confident.
“Yeah, I’ve had many, many daily conversations with him, and he’s a fighter,” Meyer said. “He doesn’t look at it that way. He looks, he came here to help lift an organization, and that’s the way he looks at it. He’s very hard on himself, as most great players are, and the whole question even I ask the team, ask myself, ask ourselves, what can we do better to go win that game, and the answer is a multitude of things. That’s never really come up. That’s not a woe-is-me, and feel sorry for yourself. What can we do to get better is how he approaches everything. Like I said, he’s very — that cat now works — is very hard on himself; what can he do better, and not just on the field but lead guys. That’s why he’s going to be a great player here.”
Jacksonville heads on the road next week to battle the Rams.
