JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines five key plays from the Jaguars’ 32-25 loss to the New York Jets in a 2024 Week 15 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday
1. No, Mac, no. Sunday was defined by the Jaguars' failure to stop Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams. But even after the All-Pro duo gave the Jets a late lead, the Jaguars had a chance. Trailing by the final margin, the Jaguars drove from their 30 to the Jets 47-yard line. From there, they faced third-and-1 with :44 remaining. Quarterback Mac Jones, who threw two touchdowns to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Sunday, threw deep down the left sideline to second-year wide receiver Parker Washington. Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner intercepted the overthrown pass at the Jets 13-yard line with :37 remaining to secure the victory. "I just think he sailed the ball a little too high; he was trying to make a play," Head Coach Doug Pederson said, with Jones adding: "Sauce kind of baited me into it, I guess. That's what I saw. He peeled back on it and made a good play."
2. Oh no – and oh no. Rodgers and Adams stood out in a wild, back-and-forth fourth quarter. Their first big play of the quarter came when Rodgers found Adams deep down the middle of the field for a 71-yard, catch-and-run touchdown that gave the lead with 3:34 remaining. Rodgers' two-point pass to Adams made it 25-22. After Jaguars kicker Cam Little's 43-yard field goal made it 25-25 with 1:51 remaining, the Jets drove for the winning points. Key play on the drive: A 41-yard pass from Rodgers to Adams, who was wide open short and ran to the Jaguars 1-yard line. The Jaguars allowed running back Breece Hall a touchdown on the ensuing play with 1:08 remaining in an effort to allow enough time for a game-tying drive. Adams caught four passes for 139 yards in the quarter.
3. Hey, hey … BTJ and Duvernay. The Jaguars followed an encouraging first half offensively with a grinding second half – but two big plays early in the fourth quarter gave them life and a lead. The key play gave them a 22-17 lead with 10:58 remaining. This was a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Thomas – a crossing route that marked the pair's second touchdown connection of the game. "I had a choice route, and I was able to cross my defender's face and break his leverage," Thomas said. "I caught it, and I just saw it was wide open, so I ran it to the end zone." The conversion failed when Jones threw incomplete to Washington. Thomas finished the game with 10 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Another key play on the drive: A 28-yard screen pass from Jones to wide receiver Devin Duvernay that gave the Jaguars a first down at the Jets 23-yard line.
4. Uh-oh – wide open. The Jaguars spent much of the second and third quarters building and holding a small lead – but the Jets inched ahead late in the third quarter. Taking possession trailing 16-10 midway through the third quarter, the Jets took a 17-16 lead when Adams caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter. Key play: Rodgers' 43-yard pass to Adams who – with cornerback Tyson Campbell trailing in coverage – broke wide open to give the Jets first-and-goal on the Jaguars 8-yard line on a play that began with the Jets facing third-and-4 at their 49-yard line.
5a. Faaaaaake. The Jaguars had early momentum and a lead – until, that is, the Jets turned in a little trickery to change Sunday's early feel. The Jets took possession at their 30-yard-line after a first-drive Jaguars touchdown, then faced fourth-and-5 three plays later. Then came the drive's key play: A 21-yard run by safety Ashtyn Davis, who took a direct snap from punt formation and ran around the right side of the line. Rodgers took advantage, first throwing to wide receiver Garrett Wilson for a 19-yard gain to the Jaguars 22. Rodgers capped the drive on the ensuing play with a 22-yard pass to a wide-open Wilson, who stepped into the end zone to tie the game 7-7 with 5:01 remaining in the first quarter.
5b. Right down the field. The Jaguars did something early Sunday they haven't done much this season, scoring an early touchdown to take a first-quarter lead. The Jaguars took the opening kickoff and drove steadily with one of their most impressive drives of the season, moving 70 yards in 13 plays. The drive wasn't about big plays as much as patience, with Jones completing a series of screen passes to Thomas, tight end Brenton Strange and running back Travis Etienne Jr. A key play came early when Thomas converted third-and-7 from the Jaguars 48 with an eight-yard reception. Jones then converted third-and-1 from the Jets 21 with a two-yard sneak. Jones capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Thomas on first-and-goal from the 3-yard-line to give the Jaguars a 7-0 lead with 8:37 remaining in the first quarter. "It was in a three-by-one formation, had a little over-route, the safety ended up coming down, driving on the tight end, so I was able to pop open," Thomas said. The play gave the Jaguars their first first-drive touchdown of the season.
