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Now that the Wild Card round of the 2022 NFL playoff season is soon to be over, the biggest talking point has to be the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The game ended up being one of the largest comebacks in playoff history, and it's worth asking what went wrong for the Chargers. The matchup was a rematch of the Week 3 loss to the Jaguars, and the Chargers had all the motivation to win this game, yet they ultimately fell short.
Quick Game Recap
The Chargers won the coin toss but decided to let the Jaguar offense start. On the second play of the game, Trevor Lawrence threw an interception and the turnover led to a rushing touchdown by Austin Ekeler.
By the end of the first quarter, Lawrence had thrown 3 interceptions and the Jaguars were down 17-0. Austin Ekeler had 2 rushing touchdowns and the Jaguars trailed the Chargers by 20 points as the score was 27-7 at the end of the first half.
Justin Herbert had 3 straight incomplete passes in the third quarter, and the Jaguars had a 89-yard scoring drive that ended in a touchdown.
Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones scored another touchdown on their next play with the scoreline now at 30-20. Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker scored a field goal on their previous play and got hit by a 15-yard penalty caused by Bosa.
Dicker missed a 40-yard field goal. Another penalty on Bosa and a touchdown by Christian Kirk reduced the deficit to 2 points.
The Chargers offense had a three-and-out and gave possession to the Jaguars, who scored a field goal in the final seconds to win the game. The final score was 31-30, and the Jaguars won the game.
Chargers Inability to close out the game
They had a strong lead against the Jaguars in their playoff game but ultimately fell short, losing 31-30. This was the first time in NFL history that a team lost a game with a +5 turnover differential.
The game seemed to be in their grasp, but poor time management and defensive breakdowns led to their defeat. Questionable play calls by Coach Brandon Staley also contributed to the loss.
Despite leading 27-0 in the second quarter, Staley's team failed to maintain their lead. The team only ran the ball 7 times in the second half, which may have contributed to their defeat. Additionally, the defense failed to stop the Jaguars in the second half, with Travis Etienne running over them.
They still had the lead with only 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter and had possession, but instead of running down the clock, they had a three-and-out which resulted in them giving possession to the Jaguars' offense.
The Jaguar offense had the right play to run down the clock and score a field goal which helped them win. A bit of ill luck also played a role as kicker Cameron Dicker rarely misses, especially from the 40-yard distance.
Jaguars Resilience and Experienced Coaching
The Jaguars pulled the third-largest comeback in NFL postseason history as they changed their offense from running inside routes in the first half to outside routes.
The Chargers were sitting on the inside route, which meant Lawrence had to rely on his arm strength to throw deep balls to the outside. Jaguars head coach Doug Peterson clearly trusted his first-round draft pick quarterback by not taking the ball away from him after 5 turnovers.
This is also a testament to the Jaguars' mental toughness to go from being down 27-0 and turning the ball 5 times in the first half and still having the winning mindset.
