By Hays Carlyon
Belief can’t be seen.
It’s like faith or love.
There’s never any tangible evidence of it, but you know it when you are around it.
The Jaguars believe in each other.
It’s a special belief and one that again guided them to an incredible comeback.
The Jaguars rallied from a 27-10 deficit to stun Dallas 40-34 in overtime on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field in front of 69,050 fans.
Emerging star quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdowns.
Safety Rayshawn Jenkins had arguably the greatest defensive game in franchise history, recording 18 tackles and two interceptions.
Jenkins ended the game with a walk-off pick six, intercepting Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and returning the ball 52 yards for the touchdown setting off a frenzied celebration.
“Just happy for the guys,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. “They never gave up. We talked about it last night at the hotel. We talked about it again today. We just kept chipping away against a really good football team. That’s a well-coached unit. They’re obviously one of the top teams in the league. But this win today, I think gives our guys confidence in who they are as a team.”
This was the latest thrilling comeback. The Jaguars have won games after trailing by 17 to Las Vegas, nine to Baltimore in the fourth quarter and seven to Tennessee. Sunday’s victory over the Cowboys (10-4) might be the most magical.
Jaguars kicker Riley Patterson connected on a 48-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime.
“No matter what kind of hole we’re in, we’re going to find a way out of it,” Lawrence said. “We just got to keep playing. We’ve done that now three or four times this season to where now when something bad happens, no one is looking around. We’re all just staying calm. We know we just got to make the next play.”
The Jaguars (6-8) lost five straight games in October, but have surged to win four of their last six games and two in a row.
They refuse to bow out of the AFC South race, trailing Tennessee (7-7) by a game with three weeks to go. The Titans lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 17-14 on Sunday, dropping their fourth straight game.
The Jaguars travel to the New York Jets on Thursday, then head to Houston before hosting the Titans in the regular-season finale.
Tennessee hosts Houston and Dallas before the finale.
“We lost five games straight in October and everyone wrote us off,” Lawrence said. “If you listen to what people say, you’re not really in a good spot. It’s the same group and we’ve just stuck together. It’s been fun. Right here, three games left, we’ve got a little run we’ve got to make. We’ve said that the last couple weeks, and we’ve stepped up to the challenge. We’ve got to do it again on a short week.”
Lawrence continued his torrid play, completing 27 of 42 passes for 318 yards with a passer rating of 109. The second-year veteran has eight games this season with a 100-plus passer rating and has thrown 24 touchdowns. Three of his four touchdown passes against the Cowboys went to receiver Zay Jones.
“It’s kind of how our offense has been working this whole year,” Lawrence said. “You never know whose day it’s going to be. It could be anybody’s. Obviously, you have things in the plan for everybody. Maybe someone has a little bit more, depending on who you’re playing, the defense you’re playing. But it wasn’t necessarily a game where I knew Zay was going to have a huge day. It was just kind of how things went.”
This was a special day, a day Jaguars fans will talk about for many years to come. Is it the continuation of a special run? It sure feels like it.
Because this team has such a strong belief.
That is a powerful force.
So is an elite franchise quarterback.
The Jaguars have both.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @HaysCarlyon).
