It was there for the taking. The Jacksonville Jaguars had the mighty Green Bay Packers on the ropes, but in the end, Green Bay ducked the knockout punch and escaped with a 27-23 victory Sunday at Everbank Field.
The game was every bit as close as the final score indicated. It came down to the final seconds before it was decided. The biggest lead all day belonged to the Packers at 27-20 with 12 minutes left.
Jacksonville hung in there despite having almost zero pressure on All-Pro Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They hung in there despite picking up only 48 yards rushing. T.J. Yeldon had the longest run of the day, a seven-yard pickup.
They were able to hang in there because quarterback Blake Bortles completed 24 of 39 passes for 320 yards. Despite converting only four of 15 third down opportunities, they hung in there by converting on fourth down in crucial situations.
Out of timeouts, the Jaguars took over on their own 37 with 3:15 left after forcing the Packers to punt. Coming out of the two-minute warning, Bortles converted on fourth down on a seven-yard scramble.
Perhaps Jacksonville thought they were destined to win in the closing moments. Following an interception on fourth down, Green Bay’s Morgan Burnett was called for defensive holding, giving the Jaguars new life.
Allen Robinson hauled in a 22-yard strike at the Green Bay 23, but fumbled when he was hit. Robinson was able to recover the fumble with 1:15 left. After being three-for-three on fourth down, Allen Hurns was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 completion at the Packer 15.
Game over.
Jaguars’ fans have every right to be disappointed in the outcome, but should also be encouraged by the grit shown by their team. It can also be said that if the team is to climb into the upper echelon of NFL teams, this is the kind of game they need to win.
“I don’t think we played very well offensively,” Rodgers said. “But we won. It’s tough to win in this league. It’s tough to win on the road.”
Few would be surprised that, had the roles been reversed, Rodgers would have led his team on a game-winning drive. That is what comes from the culture of winning Jacksonville and Coach Gus Bradley is trying to instill.
The next step is next week when the Jaguars head to San Diego to face the Chargers, who blew a 21-point lead in a 33-27 overtime loss in Kansas City.
