By Hays Carlyon
Heart and talent.
The young Jaguars showed both in a stunning 27-20 comeback victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field.
Las Vegas built a 17-0 lead, but Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and an inspired defensive effort allowed the Jaguars (3-6) to snap a five-game losing skid.
Lawrence finally showed some urgency in running the ball and it elevated his game. The second-year veteran ran for big chunks of yardage, finishing with a career-high 53 yards.
Lawrence also was effective in the pocket, completing 25-of-31 passes for 235 yards with a passer rating of 109.
His Clemson teammate, Etienne, again showed that he’s blossoming into one of the best young backs in the league. Etienne ran for over 100 yards for the third straight game, gaining 109 yards with two touchdowns on 28 carries.
Etienne has 854 yards of total offense this season (680 rushing). He’s on pace to gain 1,613 yards from scrimmage this season.
The Jaguars offense did two things incredibly well against the Raiders. They pulled off the double dip, hitting a field goal at the end of the first half and then scoring a touchdown to start the third quarter. That allowed the Jaguars to cut Las Vegas’ lead from 20-7 to 20-17. Jamal Agnew sparked the touchdown leading off the second half with a 52-yard kickoff return to the Raiders 45 yard line.
The Jaguars also dominated on third down, converting eight of their first 11 situations.
Defensively, the Jaguars held Las Vegas scoreless on its final five possessions. The Raiders only gained 65 yards in the second half.
Defensive end Dawuane Smoot recorded two sacks to lead the effort.
I’m not sure Jaguars coach Doug Pederson could’ve drawn this game up any better.
The Jaguars needed a win, but a blowout victory like the Indianapolis and Los Angeles Chargers wins, wouldn’t have meant as much as this one. Rallying from a 17-point lead and holding a lead late was the perfect elixir for this young team.
Did they learn to win Sunday? We will see, but it was a huge step in the right direction.
Will this be the start of something? Well, with a trip to Arrowhead Stadium to play Kansas City next week, probably not.
However, this should be a game the Jaguars can lean on as their journey towards respectability continues.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @HaysCarlyon).
