PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trevor Lawrence led Jacksonville to an implausible rally -- aided in part by Philadelphia's distaste for taking automatic points -- and had a needed road win in his grasp.
Lawrence instead wasted his last-chance pass at igniting the Jaguars' biggest win of the season.
His pass attempt intended for running back D’Ernest Johnson was picked off in the end zone by linebacker Nakobe Dean, a late turnover that erased Doug Pederson's chance for a win in the coach's Philly homecoming, and helped the Eagles hold on for a 28-23 win Sunday night.
“They made the plays in the back of the end zone,” Pederson said.
Lawrence dropped back from the Eagles 13 and threw a deep pass toward Johnson, the Jaguars going for it all on first down with 1:42 left on the clock.
"It’s just something you have to try to do, right? If you can stay in bounds, you stay in bounds,” Pederson said. "Or if it’s incomplete, you play another down, whatever it is. But the bottom line is we still needed to score and I felt good with the way our defense had played, they would give us a shot.”
Pederson has been coaching for his job as the Jaguars — proclaimed the “ best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever,” by owner Shad Khan in the preseason — spiral toward a season that needs a minor marvel to make the playoffs.
“It’s just been the same thing so many times this season,” Lawrence said.
Pederson led the Eagles to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl championship — a 2017 World Champions banner hangs in the Linc — and he was feted with a statue outside the stadium.
Pederson's bronze likeness was about as effective as Jacksonville's offense in the first half, with only 32 total yards and one first down. Lawrence and the Jaguars didn’t even cross midfield until the third quarter before a flurry of late scores — two touchdowns in the third quarter, one in the fourth — gave the team some life.
The Jaguars have been so awful this season that a game originally scheduled for a Sunday night primetime showcase instead was bumped to a late-afternoon kickoff.
As the game eeked deeper into darkness, the Jaguars played like a team that finally looked close to the one so full of Khan's early-season promise.
And few coaches know how to pull out late wins in Philly quite like Pederson.
Pederson enjoyed a happy homecoming before kickoff, chatting with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni. Pederson was 42-37-1 in five seasons with Eagles, including a Super Bowl victory over New England in just his second season with backup quarterback Nick Foles filling in after Carson Wentz was injured.
The Jaguars were going to be a betting underdog under the circumstances anyway, but injuries and even a trade left them playing from their heels from the start.
The Jaguars are without Christian Kirk for the rest of the season following his surgery to repair a broken collarbone, forcing second-year pro Parker Washington into the starting lineup. Washington had three catches for 41 yards.
Wideout Gabe Davis was out with a shoulder injury and Brian Thomas Jr. played through sore ribs to catch two passes for 22 yards. Walker Little started at left tackle after Cam Robinson was traded last week and left guard Ezra Cleveland missed the game with an ankle injury.
The Jaguars lost three more players to injuries during the game.
Those are the kind of absences a team like the Jaguars can ill afford to have against an Eagles team fighting for first place in the NFC East.
The Jaguars did show some fight late in the game.
Lawrence ignited Jacksonville’s second-half rally when he scored on a 1-yard run and threw a 2-point conversion pass late in the third to make it 22-8. Saquon Barkley, who had 199 total yards for the Eagles, then fumbled on the next possession, and the loose ball was scooped by Travon Walker and returned 35 yards for a TD. The Jaguars cut it to 22-16 after another 2-point conversion.
Lawrence — 16 of 31 for 169 yards and two interceptions, each to Eagles linebackers — added a 4-yard TD scramble with 4:04 left that made it 28-23.
His pick sealed the deal.
Jacksonville has dropped 12 of its last 15 games, a surprising stretch after opening 8-3 last year. Slow starts, costly mistakes and a failure to deliver in crunch time have been hallmarks of the Jags' slide — and all were on display in Philadelphia.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
