Jacksonville Jaguars: Defense saved the day in overtime
By Larry Brake
The Jacksonville Jaguars have relied upon their ferocius defense all season long, and that unit saved them in an overtime victory over the Chargers.
There is no secret that the Jacksonville Jaguars have a tenacious defense. As the game clock ticked down on Sunday in Week 10, the Los Angeles Chargers looked like they would win the game. However, the Jaguars defense would not allow a Chargers victory in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville scored first on a fake punt. Corey Grant took the direct snap from the center and ran 56 yards for the opening touchdown. Jacksonville led 6-0 as the first quarter ended as Los Angeles blocked the extra point and scored to lead at halftime, 7-6.
The Chargers extended their lead by scoring a touchdown on a third and three from the Jacksonville 22-yard line. It looked like a missed offensive interference call by two game officials. This infuriated Telvin Smith, who drew an unsportmanlike penalty because of slamming his helmet to the ground. The referees did see that one.
Jacksonville tied the game at 14 after a beautiful drive down the field. The drive consumed over four minutes of game clock. Most important of all, Jacksonville converted the two-point conversion to tie the game.
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Los Angeles kicked a 50-yard field goal to go ahead 17-14. The Jaguars offense appeared to sputter. The clock ran down to the final two minute warning. In Oklahoma, it’s called Sooner magic, but the next sequence of plays can be described as Jaguars pizzazz.
First, the Jacksonville offense threw two interceptions and the home crowd began to leave the stadium dejected. With their backs to the wall, the defense held firm and played harder. The Jaguars offense took the field with one final chance.
There was 58 seconds left and Jacksonville was out of timeouts. The Jaguars matriculated the ball closer to a tying field goal. Then the Chargers roughed Blake Bortles which moved the ball well within the range of Josh Lambo. He kicked the tying 34-yard field goal with three seconds left.
The Jaguars won the coin toss and elected to receive the overtime kickoff. Los Angeles forced the Jaguars to punt. L.A. had the ball deep in their territory. Would Los Angeles challenge the Jaguars secondary with a long pass?
On third-and-9, the Chargers threw deep against A.J. Bouye. Bouye intercepted the ball near midfield. He ran the ball back 51 yards to the Chargers 2-yard line. Once again, the Jaguars, bend-don’t-break defense saved the day. Lambo kicked the winning 30-yard field goal to make it three consecutive wins for Jacksonville.
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Although the Jaguars defense did not record a sack, they forced two huge turnovers. They held the Chargers offense to 3-of-15 on third down conversions. When the team needed a turnover, the defense put the Jaguars in the position to win the game. Once again, that side of the ball was the deciding factor in a victory.