“We’ve been in so many close games that have come down to the last possession, and to come out with a W is great for our morale and confidence”, Jaguars linebacker Julius Thomas said. So, were the Jaguars lucky at the end?
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Without the sheer, utter, complete and total stupidity of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil, the Jacksonville Jaguars would have left Maryland with a loss that would have basically ended whatever slim playoff hopes the team is harboring.
They’re getting a few help, too. Go low, get the tackle, end the game. And then it wasn’t. However, today’s win against the Baltimore Ravens was down to a bit of everything, but all in all, it could just be classified as pure luck. Jaguars center Stefen Wisniewski’s snap to Bortles appeared to take place just before the clock turned to zero. Still, it was Dumervil’s face-mask penalty as time expired that set up the Jaguars’ game-winning field goal. With the extra 15 yards, Jacksonville had the ball at the Ravens’ 34-yard line, setting up the game-winning 53-yard field goal that Myers successfully converted for the shocking victory.
Myers can kick in the clutch … Having brought in wide receiver Jeremy Butler from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, Sunday’s game against the Jaguars marked the first game Butler had been active for. Well, it was clutch. The game-winner was big-time.
Nonetheless, the defense held the Jaguars to a field goal over that stretch.
However, all of these statistics did not seem to matter, in comparison to the final drive of the game.
“It’s heartbreaking, man. I let the guys down on that play”, Dumervil said. He may even be – dare we say it? Once considered one of the best receiver prospects in the country, Lee dealt with several injuries in his final year at USC that dropped him to the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. A personal foul on Baltimore safety Will Hill provided Jacksonville with another 15 yards. However, they still managed to allow 316 passing yards and three touchdowns in the game, leaving many plays to the inside of the field and in the flat in the backfield.
It’s not that I’m mad the team won because of any agenda or belief, but the fact that I had already gone through the slew of emotions that come when the Jaguars were in the middle of squandering yet another game they should have won during the 2015 season. These teams have met on 18 occasions and the Jaguars are now leading the series 10-8.
Flacco threw three touchdown passes Sunday, but he also committed three turnovers. Maxx Williams, a rookie from Minnesota, caught his first career touchdown pass late in the first half.
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A pass interference on Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith gave the Jaguars the ball on Baltimore’s 14. Defensive tackle Michael Bennett (hamstring) also missed the game. Still, Sunday absolutely was rough. However, the offense was stalled in the redzone and Myers shanked a 26-yard field goal to the left. This area has struggled much of the season.
