By Hays Carlyon
We asked the question all week.
How would the Jaguars respond after blowing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead in a 36-29 loss at Houston?
Jaguars coach Liam Coen and the players delivered an emphatic answer.
The kicked the Chargers ass up and down EverBank Stadium for 60 minutes.
The Jaguars dominated Los Angeles 35-6 Sunday, running for four touchdowns and holding the Chargers to eight first downs and 135 yards.
“That’s where we won the game I thought,” Coen said. “That’s where we imposed our will a little bit there on the OL and DL.”
Los Angeles coach Jim Harbaugh waived the white flag early, pulling star quarterback Justin Herbert with 10 minutes left in the game.
“We got beat every which way you could possibly be beat,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got to fly back to L.A. and get together and figure out what we’re going to do about it.”
This was a magnificent response and one that could hold massive playoff weight come January. The Jaguars (6-4) now hold the tiebreaker edge over the Chargers (7-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (a Week 5 win).
This was a mauling. The Jaguars pummeled the Chargers across both lines of scrimmage all contest.
Jaguars defensive ends Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen both snapped out of their slump to constantly harass Herbert. Walker forced an intentional grounding penalty on Herbert on the game’s first play. He also had a half sack. Hines-Allen had a sack to set the career franchise record at 56 and also batted down a pass.
“They came out throwing a few screens early,” Coen said. “You could tell that they just wanted to get the ball on the perimeter and we were hunting up front. That’s for sure. Very proud of Josh Hines-Allen, getting the franchise record but it was a group effort.”
The Jaguars offensive line opened up holes throughout the day. Running back Travis Etienne ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten ran for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The Jaguars never punted. That’s the first time that’s happened since Week 2 of the 2010 season.
“The line played awesome,” Lawrence said. “Just the consistency in the run game, how we were able to keep drives going because we could run the ball, those guys moving people. The whole group up front was great. Just playing with that fire, that energy, moving people, physical.”
The Jaguars also were sharp mentally. They committed one penalty for 5 yards.
This was a team locked in, focused and ready to throw haymaker after haymaker.
Bludgeoning the Chargers sets the Jaguars up well for a run at the playoffs. The Jaguars still have two games against Tennessee, a home game against the Jets and a game at Arizona. That’s four excellent chances at a win. Go 3-1 in those four and the Jaguars will be at nine wins.
There are three difficult games: both Indianapolis matchups and a trip to Denver on Dec. 21. Go 1-2 in those three and now you have a 10-7 season.
A 10-7 record with wins over the Chiefs and Chargers will be enough to make the playoffs.
Coen has shown many encouraging things in his first year as coach. He’s now beaten Kyle Shanahan, Andy Reid and Harbaugh: Elite coaches with strong teams.
How he got this team to respond this well under such adversity now tops the list.
The Jaguars have righted the ship, proved their toughness and now are in control of a playoff berth.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on X/Twitter @HaysCarlyon).
