Chargers 30 – Jaguars 31 | The Jaguars do the unthinkable

Lightning struck Jacksonville hard in the first half of the playoff game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. The Chargers had taken a 27-0 lead, but with rain comes good weather, Trevor Lawrence propelled the team to a 31-30 victory in an already historic game.

Murphy’s Law is a phenomenon suggesting that if something or an experience is likely to be a disaster, all the elements will combine to make it happen. If for singer Angèle it’s rain after a brushing or an insufficient balance at the ATM, for Trevor Lawrence it was four interceptions, a plethora of incomplete passes and scrambles on the special teams in the first half . In his first career playoff game, the first pick in the 2021 draft threw an interception first deflected by two opponents in the second game of the game. Two plays later, running back Austin Ekeler scored the game’s first touchdown.

Lawrence’s case did not improve. Asante Samuel Jr. feasted against the tall blond with a sneaky throw. He intercepted Lawrence’s relays three times, bringing the number of interceptions against him to four.

At one point in the game, the 23-year-old quarterback had as many interceptions as he completed passes. Impatience was beginning to be felt in Lawrence and his trainer Doug Pederson, who were running out of solutions. Meanwhile, all was well with the Chargers. Justin Herbert used almost his entire receiving staff, he joined eight different ones in the entire game, and Ekeler continued to act up.

At 27-0, it was legitimate to wonder if Herbert would even finish the game in order to save himself for next week’s clash. The Chargers were so in control. Tight end Evan Engram scored a touchdown, for the honor, at the very end of the half for the locals. The Jaguars would at least be able to console themselves for having avoided the humiliation of being cleared. However, the storm did not last long.

Without looking behind

MarvinJones. Zay Jones. Christian Kirk. All three receivers turned passes from Lawrence into touchdowns. Heads high and shoulders up, the Jaguars ignored the silence of their stadium to score four unanswered touchdowns. It felt like seeing the promising Trevor Lawrence who gave the Clemson University Tigers the national championship.

Despite a disastrous start, Lawrence still completed the game with 288 passing yards and 28 completions on 47 attempts.

However, even though the Jaguars produced at a blistering pace in the second half, the Chargers’ defense also has a lot to blame. The number of failed first tackles is aberrant. It was running back Travis Etienne who got the most out of it, passing between the Chargers players as if they were fabric curtains. The Chargers were the worst team statistically against the run this season and the Jaguars exploited that weakness late in the game.

Veterans will also have to look in the mirror. Including defensive end Joey Bosa. He received three preventable penalties, including two for unsportsmanlike conduct. Both offenses led to extra points for the Jaguars side. He was only playing his sixth match of the season and it was not his physical condition that harmed his team, but his attitude, incompatible with the “C” he wears on his uniform.

kicker’s law

As is often the case in the playoffs, the difference was made with the feet and not with the hands. Midway through the fourth quarter, when the visitors still had the lead, rookie kicker Cameron Dicker, known for his lack of power and accuracy, missed a 40-yard field goal. The Jags scored their last touchdown three minutes later. Three points that would have been valuable at the end of the game.

Then, on the last play of the game, Riley Patterson made his only goal of the game, putting the ball between the posts 36 yards away, biting the cross he had around his neck.

What the Jaguars did was not a miracle, but almost. At the very least, their prayers have been answered. Against all odds, their journey to the promised land continues.

Seahawks 23 – 49ers 41

Brock Purdy excels in 49ers win

Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes and added one on the ground in his playoff debut, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. Purdy picked up where he left off in the season for the 49ers (14-4) and he showed very little playoff jitters to earn his sixth straight start since replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, who was injured in the of the 13^e activity week. The 49ers have advanced to the second round of playoffs and will host the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Dallas Cowboys next weekend. “When we’re playing our best football, offense and defense are doing their thing, we’re tough to beat,” Purdy said. We know it. We just have to keep putting the pedal to the metal. Purdy had 332 passing yards — the second most in rookie history in the playoffs after Russell Wilson’s 385 yards 10 years ago — and became the first rookie quarterback in history to be involved in four touchdowns at his first playoff game.

Associated Press