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This was not the form of historical past Trevor Lawrence wished to make in his first playoff look: The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback grew to become the primary participant within the Tremendous Bowl period to throw three interceptions within the first quarter of a playoff sport.
It received worse.
Lawrence threw a fourth interception within the second quarter, and by the point half-hour of soccer was within the books, Jacksonville was in a 27-7 gap.
Three of the interceptions went to Asante Samuel Jr., who grew to become the primary participant with three defensive interceptions in a playoff sport since New England’s Ty Regulation and Carolina’s Ricky Manning each did it on Jan. 18, 2004.
No worries. Lawrence led Jacksonville to 24 second-half factors to finish the third greatest playoff comeback in N.F.L. historical past to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers, 31-30.
As an alternative of quitting, Lawrence and the Jaguars forgot about their first-half yips and mounted a decided effort to advance to the divisional spherical of the A.F.C. playoffs.
“It’s unbelievable,” mentioned Lawrence, who completed 28 for 47 for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns. “You couldn’t write a crazier script.”
Lawrence, in his second 12 months in Jacksonville, had led the Jaguars to their fourth division championship for the reason that franchise’s inception in 1995. Regardless of the terrible first half, the Jaguars regrouped at halftime.
They’d been down and out earlier than — beginning the season 4-8 earlier than successful their final 5 video games and incomes their place within the playoffs. At halftime, Lawrence reminded his teammates of their penchant for locating success when their backs have been towards the wall.
“We mentioned within the locker room that’s form of how our season’s going. We’re by no means out of the struggle. I’m form of speechless, truthfully, simply to see what perception can do and to see when a workforce believes in one another what you may accomplish,” Lawrence mentioned.
Within the second half, Lawrence guided the Jacksonville down the sector with three sustained and environment friendly drives. He threw landing passes to Zay Jones, Christian Kirk and Marvin Jones.
Lawrence then added a 2-point conversion leap over the pile to make it 30-28 with 5:25 to go. When the Jaguars’ protection compelled a punt, Lawrence had 3:09 left within the sport and the ball at his personal 21-yard line.
It didn’t take lengthy for Jacksonville to seek out their manner into Chargers’ territory. With 1:28 left within the sport and going through fourth-and-1 from the Chargers’ 41-yard line, Jacksonville Coach Doug Pederson determined his workforce was too far out for a game-winning field-goal try.
As an alternative, he known as for Jacksonville’s work horse, operating again Travis Etienne Jr., to hold his workforce nearer to a victory.
“I really feel just like the operating again, when it will get to that time of the sport, you’re speculated to be the nearer,” Etienne mentioned. “Coach believed in me on that fourth-and-1, to present me the ball. I needed to make one thing occur for my teammates.”
Etienne did. He took the handoff from Lawrence and bounced outdoors to the correct sideline for a 25-yard scamper that made for simple work for field-goal kicker Riley Patterson.
With three seconds on the clock, Patterson booted a 36-yard discipline aim for the victory that completed the season for the Chargers.
The Jaguars? They’ll overlook a dismal first half. They’re taking part in on, advancing to the A.F.C. divisional spherical for the primary time for the reason that 2017 season.
After a good first half, Brock Purdy and the 49ers rolled over the Seahawks.
The storms which have battered California for 2 weeks and knocked out energy for hundreds of residents, together with San Francisco 49ers tight finish George Kittle, have been speculated to considerably have an effect on Saturday’s early wild-card sport between the 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. However simply earlier than kickoff, the rain paused, and because the solar shined, the 49ers went on to dominate the Seahawks, 41-23, to advance to the divisional spherical.
Brock Purdy, the 49ers’ rookie quarterback, additionally shined in his playoff debut. Purdy, who was chosen with the final choose of the 2022 N.F.L. Draft and started the season because the workforce’s third-string quarterback, threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Working again Christian McCaffrey added 119 yards on the bottom, and receiver Deebo Samuel collected 165 complete yards and a landing.
Seattle led, 17-16, after the primary half, however San Francisco responded with 25 unanswered factors to begin the second.
Purdy’s greatest play of the sport got here within the fourth quarter when he spun out of what seemed like a surefire sack and located 49ers operating again Elijah Mitchell for a landing. Purdy then threw a cross to Kittle on a profitable two-point conversion to place the 49ers up by 14. Later within the quarter, Samuel caught a brief cross and ran for a 74-yard landing.
The sport successfully ended after that drive. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw an interception on the Seahawks’ subsequent possession. Smith threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver DK Metcalf caught 10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
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