The Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) held on to defeat the Arizona Cardinals (3-8) 27-24 in overtime. It was a game that was a lot tougher than many assumed it would be entering the week.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence struggled mightily at times, turning the ball over four times, including one that went for a touchdown to tie the ballgame at 7-7 early. He tossed three interceptions, including a crucial pick to Cardinals safety Budda Baker in the fourth quarter.
When it was needed the most, though, Lawrence completed all four of his passes on a go-ahead drive, including a nine-yard touchdown pass to receiver Parker Washington. Washington’s touchdown gave Jacksonville a late 24-21 lead.
The score was supposed to be the final for Jacksonville, but a last-minute drive by the Cardinals forced overtime with the game tied at 24-24.
Still, the Jaguars went on to win their second overtime game in four weeks after holding on to win 31-30 against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9. Jacksonville got it done thanks to a 52-yard field goal made by kicker Cam Little, his second of the contest.
Jacksonville’s win moves them up one spot in the playoff seeding for the AFC, ahead of the Buffalo Bills as the six-seed team. The Jaguars are now one game back of the Indianapolis Colts, who lost Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The game marked Lawrence’s first three-interception performance since Dec. 10, 2023, at Cleveland.
Lawrence finished the contest completing 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and a fumble. The team’s leading receiver was tight end Brenton Strange, who totaled five catches on five targets for 93 yards.
It also marked Jacksonville’s second win in team history when turning the ball over four times or more. They previously were 1-37 in such games.
Parker Washington gives Jaguars life in second half
With the Jaguars on the ropes, Washington came to save the day… again.
Before his late go-ahead touchdown catch, Washington had another sensational play to give Jacksonville some life.
Jacksonville initially marched down the field to the Arizona six-yard line at the start of the third quarter before Lawrence’s pass over the middle of the field was tipped by Calais Campbell and picked off by Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams.
After a stop by Jacksonville’s defense, Washington took the ensuing punt 43 yards to the Cardinals’ 27-yard line to give the Jaguars a short field en route to a go-ahead touchdown.
After some back and forth, Lawrence found receiver Jakobi Meyers for a 10-yard score to give Jacksonville the lead back 17-14. On the next drive, Jacksonville’s defense came alive again, forcing the Cardinals to punt after Brissett was put under pressure, forced to lie down and take a sack.
Jaguars offense has Jekyll & Hyde start vs. Cardinals
Jacksonville got off to a hot start on both sides of the ball against Arizona, but especially on offense, with their first drive of the game going 97 yards for a touchdown.
Jacksonville struck first with four plays, including a 30-yard completion to tight end Brenton Strange, followed by a 45-yard scamper by Travis Etienne, who finished the drive with a 15-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Jacksonville’s scoring drive came after Jacksonville’s defense forced Arizona off the field thanks to a sack by linebacker Dennis Gardeck.
Jacksonville’s 97-yard scoring drive was the longest of the season. It included a five-yard encroachment penalty by Arizona. It also marked the longest Jaguars touchdown drive since Nov. 11, 2018 (also 97 yards) vs. the Indianapolis Colts.
Lawrence’s 15-yard score to Etienne was his 100th total touchdown (passing or rushing) in his career. He became the seventh player in the AFC to reach the milestone since entering the league in 2021. Lawrence also passed former Jaguars quarterback David Garrard on the team’s all-time passing yards chart with 16,011 in his career (at the time), good for the third-most in team history.
All of that fun would be short-lived, however, after Lawrence was picked off by Cardinals rookie defensive tackle Walter Nolan at the seven-yard line after Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson forced a fumble on Lawrence. Nolan rumbled into the end zone, tying the game 7-7 just ahead of the end of the first quarter.
After totalling 119 yards in the first quarter, Jacksonville’s offense had just nine yards with two minutes left in the first half. Lawrence completed just 3 of 8 passes for 51 yards, one touchdown and a fumble in the first half.
Part of the team’s offensive struggles came due to their inability to stay on the field and the defense’s inability to get off the field.
Jaguars defense struggles to get off field in second quarter
Despite allowing just one touchdown in the first half, Jacksonville’s defense didn’t give its offense much of a chance to get the ball back.
The Jaguars gave up a touchdown on a nine-play, 50-yard drive by the Cardinals near the start of the second quarter. The drive took just over five minutes off the clock. After Jacksonville went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, the Cardinals finished off most of the remainder of the first half on a 16-play 84-yard drive that led to a missed field goal.
Jacksonville’s defense allowed 180 total net yards and 17 first downs. They were on the field for 20:32 in the first quarter while Jacksonville’s offense got just under 10 minutes.
Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 20 of 25 passes for 161 yards against Jacksonville’s defense.
Still, the Jaguars’ defense did a fine job at the start of the game with key sacks coming from defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and linebacker Dennis Gardeck.
Jacksonville’s defense picked up its play in the second half, but ultimately allowed 326 net yards throughout the contest, including overtime. Jaguars pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen sacked Brissett early in overtime, setting the stage for the defense to bring home the win on a fourth-down pass breakup by Andrew Wingard and Christian Braswell near field goal range for the Cardinals.
Next up: Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
The Jaguars will get back on the road next week to face off against the Titans. The matchup marks the first of two meetings, the final matchup coming in Week 18 at home.
Next week’s matchup will mark the first of four divisional round games the Jaguars have in the final six games of the season. Their other two matchups come against the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos. They’ll face the Titans one more time while taking on the Colts twice.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars find a way to beat Arizona Cardinals 27-24 in OT
Reporting by Demetrius Harvey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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