Engram: "The Season's Not Over…" | Game That Was

Oct 27, 2024 at 09:26 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – Evan Engram made this much clear late Sunday afternoon: The Jaguars haven't given up on the season. Not even close.

"Hell, no, the season's not over," he said.

Engram, the Jaguars' veteran tight end and team leader, spoke in the emotional aftermath of a 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers at EverBank Stadium Sunday. The reasons for the post-game emotions were real and varied:

A third last-play loss of the season.
A 2-6 record when more was expected.
A dramatic rally – two dramatic rallies, actually – that fell short when the Jaguars allowed a field-goal drive in the final two minutes.

Perhaps as notable: The Jaguars after Sunday aren't only an emotional team, they're an injured one with five starters – wide receivers Christian Kirk (shoulder), Brian Thomas Jr. (chest) and Gabe Davis (shoulder), cornerback Ronald Darby (hip) and left guard Ezra Cleveland (ankle) – leaving and not returning to Sunday's loss because of injuries.

"It's a Warrior League and we're getting to that point in the season," Jaguars safety Andre Cisco said.

The Jaguars played through Sunday's injuries in impressive, gutty fashion. With Kirk, Thomas and Davis – the team's top three receivers – out, quarterback Trevor Lawrence drove the offense 87 yards for the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars spent that drive in "12" personnel – two tight-end formations – because Parker Washington and Tim Jones were the only healthy wide receivers.

"Those guys did an awesome job of making some plays down the stretch and just being ready for their opportunities," said Lawrence, whose 14-yard touchdown pass to Engram capped the drive and tied the game 27-27 with 1:48 remaining.

"That's a bright spot if there is one, just those guys playing well."

The Jaguars currently have four wide receivers – veteran Austin Trammell, veteran Elijah Cooks, rookie Joshua Cephus and rookie Louis Rees-Zammit – on the practice squad.

"I don't know what the future looks like, but those guys have been working really hard," Lawrence said. "They've done a nice job. Obviously if that happens and we do have to bring some guys up, then it's about kind of getting that chemistry going again because it's been a little bit since throwing with those guys and work some stuff. It will be a big week if that is the case."

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The Jaguars trail the Houston Texans (6-2) by four games in the AFC South with nine games remaining. They started the 2022 season 2-6 before winning the AFC South with a 9-8 record and victories in their final five regular-season games.

"We're definitely trending up and at this point we've got to fight for our legacy," Engram said. "What kind of legacy do we want to leave as individuals and for our team as a team? So, we can throw the record out at this point, what legacy are we going to leave on the field moving forward? I think today gave us a good glimpse of what we can do. Still just got to finish so, got to keep moving forward.""

Engram added, "You know what happened here. We were in a way worse spot later in the season [in 2022]. Everybody was playing their asses off [on Sunday], leaving a legacy for themselves and for our team. That brought us down to the wire against a really good team. So, I'm saying that we've got to continue to do that and continue to build on that.

"If we have the outlook, we're going to get the best out of our guys for sure."

NOTABLE

The key play Sunday in a game of huge plays: A 51-yard completion from Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis to wide receiver Jayden Reed, a play that gave the Packers a first down on the Jaguars 15 with 1:04 remaining. The Packers drained the clock, with kicker Brandon McManus' 24-yard field goal with :00 remaining giving Green Bay the victory. Reed on the 51-yard play ran a crossing route to the left side of the field, with Willis finding him after rolling right after a play-action fake. Cisco, who had been hydrating through the second half to deal with cramping, said he cramped as he tried to accelerate while covering Reed – allowing Reed to break wide open. "I basically cramped up throughout the game," Cisco said. "Early in the second half, it kind of went away. I started opening it up and it just locked up on me. I can't really explain it. It's hard to understand in the moment. I went into that drive hydrated, taking care of my body. Sometimes …"

QUOTABLE BITS FROM WEEK 8 POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Lawrence: "The team has to stick together, and we can't be totally dejected by the result today. I do think we've come a long way, and we are continuing to come together and become a better team, but we have to find a way to win next week. All the work is not in vain. We've come a long way, and we just have to go find a way to win."
Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun: "Is losing frustrating? Every time. It's tough. It's tough. You've got to go there, prepare, see what you've got to do a little bit differently in order to get on the winning side of these plays in order to win the game. Definitely, losing is frustrating."