Just when it seemed the Jaguars had lost a sixth straight game to the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Trailing 17-16 with eight seconds remaining, running back Ameer Abdullah exploded for a 53-yard kickoff return that left one second still on the clock.
Usually, a team would wait to tackle the returner until the clock hit zero, or at the very least elect for a touchback. But not the Eagles. Just moments after nailing a go-ahead field goal in the final seconds, Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott booted the ball to the Jaguars’ 8-yard line — right to Abdullah.
The ensuing return placed Jacksonville at the Eagles’ 39-yard line, setting up a 57-yard field goal for kicker Cam Little. As the final second ticked off the clock, the NFL’s longest-kick holder (68 yards), knocked it through to lift the Jags to a 19-17 win in London. Little has now made 9 of 11 field goals this year.
With the Jaguars off to a 4-1 start, here are three takeaways from their stunning comeback win over the Eagles.
Parker Washington, Brenton Strange continue to shine
Though they scored just 19 points, the Jaguars continued to flash an ability to move the chains and throw the ball downfield. Though 13 penalties for 100 yards plagued Jacksonville all game, quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns — both to receiver Parker Washington — on 24-of-39 passing.
Continuing to lead the Jags’ receiving corps, Washington caught six of his nine targets, tallying 124 yards and both of Jacksonville’s touchdowns. His first opened the scoring in the first quarter as Washington turned a short pass into a 51-yard score. He cut across the backfield, caught a pass at the line of scrimmage, turned upfield and broke a tackle along the right sideline. Washington was off to the races from there, weaving his way past blockers and waltzing into the end zone unscathed.
His second touchdown, though shorter, was much more electrifying.
It came on a fourth-and-5 in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as Jacksonville trailed 14-10. Even with Eagles defensive back Riq Woolen offering tight coverage and little separation, Lawrence floated the ball near the end zone and trusted his leading receiver to make a play. Washington turned, tracked the ball, leapt into the air and came down with a miraculous one-handed grab for the 27-yard touchdown. It put a beautiful cap on his first 100-yard outing of the season and played a pivotal role in the Jaguars’ victory. Washington is now up to a team-high 352 yards and four touchdowns on 22 receptions this year.
Tight end Brenton Strange also continued to produce in London. After pacing Jacksonville’s pass catchers in Week 4 with 95 yards, he caught seven passes for 68 yards with a long of 27 against Philly. He only failed to secure one of his eight targets and has provided a steady hand for Lawrence to rely on over the middle of the field.
Strange, who, like Washington, is a former Penn State Nittany Lion, is up to 235 yards on 21 receptions through five games. He also caught a touchdown in Week 1 and has the team’s second-highest yards total behind Washington.
With Washington off to a hot start and Strange providing a safety blanket as a second option in the passing game, the Jaguars have developed a reliable receiving duo for Lawrence to lean on in late-game situations.
The Jags turned up the pressure
To put it bluntly, the Philadelphia offensive line was hanging on by a thread headed into Sunday morning. Outside of left tackle Jordan Mailata and right guard Tyler Steen, the Eagles' remaining three starting linemen had one combined start before Sunday’s game. That one start came in Week 4 against the Rams, where right tackle Markel Bell got the last-second start when Lane Johnson was a last-second inactive.
Johnson abruptly retired on Tuesday; the Eagles dealt center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday; And, left guard Landon Dickerson remains on injured reserve. That forced Bell, left guard Willie Lampkin and center Jake Majors into the starting lineup. And to put it simply, the Jags had the massive trench advantage in London.
Overall, Jacksonville defenders combined for a whopping 23 pressures and 17 hurries on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Jags dynamic pass-rushing duo of Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen had four pressures apiece, with Walker recording one of Jacksonville’s two sacks on the day.
That pressure greatly affected Hurts’ comfort in the contest. He was pressured on 20 of his 43 dropbacks (46.5%), and on those plays, he went 7-of-18 passing for 46 yards. On unpressured throws, Hurts went 14-for-22 with 174 yards and a touchdown.
Jacksonville’s interior defenders had an impact on the final result as well. Both Ruke Orhorhoro and Arik Armstead had two pressures apiece, while DaVon Hamilton recorded a pressure for the fifth-consecutive game.
Hamilton’s impact on the game, however, went beyond just his defensive presence, as he assumed long-snapper duties after Ross Matiscik injured his shoulder. The veteran defensive tackle, who played as a long-snapper since high school, did an admirable job and delivered the snap on Little’s game-winning field goal.
Secondary continues to allow explosives
While Jacksonville’s front seven has consistently delivered, some holes have continually shown in the defensive backfield.
Travis Hunter has shown signs of great improvement (secondary best 69.5 PFF grade) and fellow cornerback Jourdan Louis and safeties Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray have been solid. But the remainder of the Jags secondary has noticeably struggled.
And without Murray in the lineup on Sunday, even more attention was put on some of the more inconsistent members of the last line of defense, despite facing an Eagles wideout corps without leading receiver DeVonta Smith.
Four different Eagles pass catchers – wideouts Darius Cooper, Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon, as well as tight end Dallas Goedert – each recorded 38-plus yards. Wicks, Lemon and Goedert all had five-plus catches, while Cooper’s 71 yards paced the team. A majority of those 71 yards came on Philly’s lone passing touchdown of the game. Cooper was matched up against Jags corner Montaric Brown, and the former UDFA wideout easily separated from Brown for a 62-yard score.
Overall, Brown finished with a 29.6 PFF grade, the worst of any Jags defender. Furthermore, fellow cornerback Jarrian Jones and starting safety Rayuan Lane III didn’t fare much better, earning PFF grades of 42.7 and 47.2, respectively.
If the Jaguars want to fully cement themselves as the cream of the crop in the AFC, acquiring another body in the secondary would be a major step toward doing so.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
