JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars entered Week 9 in a bit of a sticky situation, coming off of a bye week and two ugly losses against the Rams and Seahawks. How would the team respond to Liam Coen? Win and they keep themselves in the playoff hunt. Lose and the season very well could be over right there.
Early on the team moved the ball pretty well, until the common themes of this season plagued the team once again. Redzone turnovers, drops and penalties killed what were promising drives. It wasn’t until a record-breaking 68-yard field goal from Cam Little seemed to change everything.
Travis Etienne might have been the best player for the Jaguars. While he only managed a pedestrian 3.8 yards per carry, his impact was far greater. Etienne ran for 98 yards after contact, according to NextGenStats, 14 yards further than his game total.
Etienne’s nine missed tackles forced and the 43 yards that came after were both season-highs for the running back. The Jaguars finished the game with eight straight runs, capping off a 10-play, 44-yard drive in overtime.
The offensive line bounced back after a few consecutive ugly weeks from the unit. Trevor Lawrence was sacked just one time and hit twice, far better than the combined 17 sacks and 36 hits from the three games prior. Lawrence was likely grateful the turn around happened when it did, considering his illness.
With potentially the season on the line, the Jaguars stepped up when they needed it most.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jags’ offense scored on six consecutive drives, scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. On top of that, they did so with largely backups at the skill positions.
The penalties also fixed themselves after half-time as no offensive penalties were committed. If the penalties and drops can be cleaned up, the team can get back to their identity, a strong run-game. That’s precisely what won them this game against the Raiders.
There’s still a lot of kinks to work out, but Coen’s approach and confidence in his players played a pivotal part in getting the Jaguars the win and in their 5-3 record. It might not have been pretty, but a win is a win.
>>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live.
