Kevin C. Cox/Getty
- The Jacksonville Jaguars blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
- The Jaguars’ decision to kneel the ball twice with 55 seconds remaining in the first half came back to haunt them.
- When the Jaguars trailed the Patriots by four with two minutes remaining, they had to score a touchdown, a circumstance that may have been different if they tried to score to end the first half.
The New England Patriots overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit on Sunday to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars and advance to the Super Bowl.
And while the story of the game has rightfully been the Patriots’ perfect fourth-quarter execution, the Jaguars also fumbled away a golden opportunity to pull off the upset of the NFL season.
Despite a scoreless fourth quarter and their inability to stop the Patriots’ offense down the stretch, the sequence the Jaguars may wish they could have back actually came in the first half.
With 55 seconds left to play, the Patriots kicked off to the Jaguars, trailing 14-10. After a touchback, Jacksonville brought the ball to the 25-yard line, with two timeouts remaining, then proceeded to kneel twice as time expired.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, no team had done that this season.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/955193166931660801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Jaguars decided to kneel with 55 seconds remaining in the first half and 2 timeouts.
No team had taken a knee with over 50 seconds remaining in the first half this season.
The decision was a baffling one. The Jaguars moved the ball well against the Patriots in the first half, and kicker Josh Lambo later nailed two long field goals for the Jaguars, showing his range and accuracy would have been useful if the Jags had been able to get into field goal range.
Instead, the decision to kneel and not risk turning the ball over — also questionable because the Jaguars also got the ball to start the second half — seemed as if the Jaguars were playing not to lose, afraid of the tide turning against them.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/955189850151403520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I hate when teams do that. You have 2 TOs and :55 seconds. It’s like you are telling your offense we don’t think you are that good.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/955189616746926080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
please tell me how kneeling with 55 seconds left and two timeouts doesn’t say everything about what the jags think of blake bortles. i wanna hear this one.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/955189589152620544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Jags gonna kneel with :55 seconds and that tells you all you need to know
In the NFC Championship, the Philadelphia Eagles kicked a field goal after getting the ball with 29 seconds remaining before halftime. The NFL world piled on the Jaguars for their decision to kneel.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/955245550823264256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Jacksonville took a knee with 55 seconds left in the first half. Eagles drive for a FG with 29 seconds left in the half.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/955245549447458816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Why did the eagles try to score? Didnt they know there were fewer than 55 seconds left?
That the Jaguars didn’t try to score when they had the chance mattered down the stretch. The Patriots took a 24-20 lead with 2:48 remaining, giving the ball to Blake Bortles to try to lead the Jaguars to victory.
Bortles got his team close. After a few completions, Jacksonville faced 4th-and-15 on the Patriots’ 43-yard-line, with 1:47 remaining. Bortles attempted a deep throw to wide receiver Dede Westbrook, but it was tipped by Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, giving the ball back to the Patriots, who then ran out the clock.
The Jaguars needed a touchdown in that situation. Perhaps it may have been different if they drove the ball at the end of the first half.
Circumstances change with each play. There’s no guarantee that the Jaguars would have scored if they drove the ball at the end of the first half, just as there’s no guarantee that they would have won the game if they did drive the ball. However, in a playoff game in which points can be scarce, the decision to not try to score only looks more suspect as time passes.
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