The Packers thwart the Jaguars' comeback attempt and win on a walk-off FG

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was an equally painful loss suffered by the Jaguars.

On the field. On the scoreboard. In the locker room.

Jacksonville had more than a half-dozen players sidelined with injuries and then watched as the Packers ran the field to a walk-off field goal and a 30-27 victory over the Jaguars on Sunday at EverBank Stadium. It was the latest in a torturous season for the Jaguars, who began with playoff expectations and now must wonder what's left and who will be there to make the playoffs.

“They are devastated. You are heartbroken. They fought back. To be honest, they fought until the end. That’s all I can ask for,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said. “But I also want them to understand that these games come down to about two or three games. We can't give the ball away like we did late in our own defense. We didn't tackle it very well defensively. There are some things we need to clean up and continue to clean up if we want to get back on track.”

Trevor Lawrence's top three receivers – Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk – left the team with injuries. According to ESPN, Kirk's injury was later determined to be a season-ending broken collarbone, a major blow to the Jaguars' offense.

Lawrence still managed a game-winning drive, throwing a beautiful 14-yard touchdown to Evan Engram with just under two minutes to play to make things 27-1.

But Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis followed with the vigor of his career, headlining a field-turning 51-yard strike to Jayden Reed. Five plays later, former Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus nailed the 24-yarder to win over the Jaguars (2:6).

It was an excruciating way to lose.

McManus' approach – the team didn't re-sign him and he was later sued by two women who claimed McManus harassed them on a team plane last year – was the icing on the cake of a tough season. But there were so many other problems that it's difficult to pinpoint just one.

Green Bay's starting quarterback, Jordan Love, suffered a groin injury on the game's first drive and was not at full strength before joining Willis. Jacksonville's defense struggled to contain a limited Love. When Willis came in, he delivered. He led three scoring drives, the last being a six-play march from his own 30 to the Jacksonville 6 to set up the game-winning kick.

The shards of positivity were there too. Jacksonville showed significant growth on offense, with Lawrence fending off two killer turnovers that Green Bay converted into touchdowns to set up a furious finish to the fourth quarter.

The playoff hopes are all but over, but Jacksonville has been hit with injuries that are likely to be painful in both the short and long term. If general manager Trent Baalke and Pederson had planned to field offers as the trade deadline approaches, Sunday's game certainly shortened the list of potential suitors.

“But yeah, tough day. Really on all levels. Injuries, didn't win the game. It’s unfortunate,” Lawrence said. “I'm definitely disappointed and hate it for some of the guys, and we'll see. “I don't know. It's not my job to take care of injuries, but we hope to get them back soon. I just hate it for boys who struggle through things and today feel like only boys go down all the time.”

Balloons to the injury list

Injuries hampered the Jaguars against Green Bay. Right guard Brandon Scherff, receiver Davis and Ronald Darby, all starters, suffered injuries in the first half. Guard Ezra Cleveland injured his ankle in the third quarter. Thomas suffered a chest injury after his touchdown catch. On the ensuing ride, Kirk was thrown hard to the ground and immediately grabbed him by the shoulder. The team immediately excluded him. ESPN said he would miss the rest of the season. Safety Andre Cisco left the last ride. Scherff was the only one of those injured players to return.

The only positive injury news was the return of linebacker Foye Oluokun, who moved into the starting lineup after missing the last four games with a foot injury.

National publications had the Jaguars rated as sellers at the trade deadline, with Kirk's name frequently mentioned as a target for a contender. The deadline is still a week away, but injuries will likely leave one or two players off of Jacksonville's list of potential contract candidates.

The offense awakens in the second quarter

The Jaguars played as poorly as they could for most of the first quarter and a half.

With 6 minutes, 3 seconds left before halftime, they were down 10-0 with no first downs and Lawrence fired a bullet pass into the hands of Kirk that went 33 yards. His next big score came to Thomas, an 18-yard play that went into the red zone.

Lawrence capped the drive with a 6-yard rushing touchdown, his first of the season. It was urgently needed.

Before this sequence, the Jaguars did next to nothing on offense. Jacksonville had just 15 total yards on six plays in the first quarter and two punts. Lawrence shot a ball into heavy traffic and had it easily picked off by Xavier McKinney early in the second quarter, and the Packers turned that into a Josh Jacobs touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Jacksonville again went out of bounds three times on the ensuing drive and managed just 23 yards on 10 offensive plays with three punts and one interception before Lawrence and the offense finally got going.

Lawrence was 21 of 32 passing for 308 yards, two touchdowns and the interception. Thomas had three catches for 60 yards. Brenton Strange and Kirk followed with 59 yards each.

“I feel like the team is coming together, but we just have to find a way to get to 3-6 and win next week,” Lawrence said. “We can’t worry about what comes next. We just have to take it one week at a time. That’s the only way we can get out of the hole we’ve put ourselves in.”

Team runs hot and cold

Jarrian Jones had his first NFL interception, breaking off on a sideline route and diving in front of Romeo Doubs for the pick. The interception itself was worthy of a highlight, but Jones' footwork to stay in the field was the defensive play of the half for Jacksonville.

When Willis replaced Love in the third quarter, the Packers led 13-10. The Jaguars answered with a Lawrence touchdown pass to Thomas to regain the lead, but Willis (4 of 5 passes, 56 yards, TD) and Green Bay made a throw. Jacobs pounded the Jaguars' defense, capping the go-ahead score with a 38-yard touchdown run for a 20-17 lead. Jacobs stunned several Jacksonville defenders at the tackle attempt. Jacobs finished the game with 127 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

Lawrence's killer turnover came on a third-and-7 from the Jacksonville 14. Edgerrin Cooper knocked the ball out of bounds and the Packers recovered. Two plays later, Willis hit Tucker Kraft for a 3-yard touchdown and a 27-17 lead.

“Of course we know that, but the resilient part of it is the way we fight back and put ourselves in a position to balance the football game. That's the mindset. That’s the mindset we need to have in the first quarter,” Pederson said. “That will be something I think we can learn from going forward.”

The Jaguars came back. A 47-yard field goal by Cam Little snapped a 27-20 tie with 5:39 to play, and the defense forced a quick three-and-out to give Lawrence another opportunity to deliver. And he almost did, as he tied the game with a masterful eight-play, 82-yard drive that gave Engram the game-winning score.

“So at this point in our season you can't really get excited about moral victories, but yeah, it's good for our team,” Engram said. “It is good for the young people that they are competing at this moment. We still have a lot of football ahead of us so we have to keep going.”