After his team blew a 19-point lead against the Texans in a Week 10 loss, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said that his team could not allow the bad feelings from the loss linger in a way that would hurt them in the future.
Coen can go ahead and hang the “Mission Accomplished” banner because his team showed no hangover from the loss against the Chargers this Sunday. They didn’t punt while taking a 14-6 lead in the first half and then dominated the Chargers in the second half of a 35-6 win.
The Jaguars scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half and ran 29 offensive plays against just four for the Chargers over that span. The last of those Chargers snaps was an interception by quarterback Justin Herbert and it was also the final snap that Herbert played this weekend. Trey Lance took over for the rest of the fourth quarter and the Jaguars replaced Trevor Lawrence with Nick Mullens a short time later.
Lawrence ran for a touchdown in the third quarter and was 14-of-22 for 153 yards, a touchdown and an interception through the air. Running back Travis Etienne ran for two scores and rookie Bhayshul Tuten also scored before leaving the game with an ankle injury. The Jaguars also lost cornerback Greg Newsome to an ankle injury, so they’ll have a couple of players to monitor as they head into a Week 12 game in Arizona.
They’ll head into that game with a 6-4 record thanks to Sunday’s win and that keeps them firmly in the playoff mix at the top of the stretch run. They still play the 8-2 Colts twice, so they could make a late run at winning the AFC South if they can avoid letdowns like they had in Week 10.
Herbert went for a medical check after taking a big hit on a sack late in the second quarter and will likely be asked if there were any lingering issues after he returned to action. Week 12 is a bye week, so he’ll have extra time to recover and the 7-4 Chargers will have extra time to try to figure out what they can do to reverse course when they face the Raiders in Week 13.
Jaguars Clips
The Jaguars blew a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter last Sunday and they’ve given themselves an even bigger cushion this week.
Running back Travis Etienne scored his second touchdown of the game two plays after safety Antonio Johnson picked off Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert near midfield. Johnson ran it back to the Chargers’ 13-yard line and Etienne took care of the rest to make in 35-6 Jaguars with 11:02 left to play.
Herbert, who was shaken up at the end of the first half, came out of the game in favor of Trey Lance on the next Chargers possession. The Chargers have not announced an injury as the reason for the move.
It was the third touchdown of the second half for the Jaguars. The first two drives took 27 plays and the Chargers have run just four offensive snaps since the start of the second half.
That’s a good way to ensure you hold onto a lead and it looks like the Jaguars will be able to celebrate when the final whistle blows this week.
The last time the Chargers were in Jacksonville, they blew a big lead in the second half of a playoff loss to the Jaguars.
They’ll be hoping to flip the script this time around. Trevor Lawrence’s one-yard touchdown run capped the Jaguars’ first drive of the second half and extended the home team’s lead to 21-6 with 7:50 to play in the third quarter.
Quarterback Justin Herbert will be part of the Chargers’ comeback effort. Herbert went into the sideline medical tent after taking a hard hit just before halftime, but he returned to the game after the Jaguars’ kickoff.
Lawrence’s touchdown was set up by passes to Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, and Tim Patrick as well as a defensive pass interference call in the end zone on Chargers safety Elijah Molden. The only bit of bad news for the Jaguars so far in the second half is that cornerback Greg Newsome has been ruled out with an ankle injury.
The Chargers trail the Jaguars 14-6 at halftime and they may not have quarterback Justin Herbert around to help them mount a comeback.
Herbert went to the medical tent after being sacked by Jaguars defensive lineman B.J. Green on a fourth down late in the first half. Officials flagged Green for roughing, which appeared to be an incorrect call, but the Chargers did not receive a first down because they lined up with an illegal formation. The Chargers punted the ball away rather than go for it with backup quarterback Trey Lance.
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh did not have an update on Herbert’s condition during an on-field interview at the end of the half.
Herbert was 9-of-15 for 81 yards while leading the Chargers to a pair of field goals in the first half. Running back Kimani Vidal suffered a thigh injury earlier in the half, but returned to action on the team’s final possession.
Bhayshul Tuten and Travis Etienne each ran for touchdowns for the Jaguars, who did not punt in the first half. They failed to convert a fourth down on their first drive and Trevor Lawrence threw an interception before time ran out on the first half while Jacksonville had the ball.
The Bills have an unexpected inclusion on their inactive list for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.
Wide receiver Keon Coleman will not play for Buffalo. The 2024 second-round pick was not on the injury report this week, which makes him a healthy scratch for a game the Bills need to try to push their way back up the AFC East standings.
According to multiple reports, Coleman missed a team meeting on Friday and that led to the decision to sit him on Sunday. Coleman was also benched for portions of two games as a rookie for disciplinary purposes.
The Bills signed Mecole Hardman to the 53-man roster on Saturday and they also elevated Gabe Davis from the practice squad. They will join Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers at receiver for the Bills.
Bills at Buccaneers
Bills: WR Keon Coleman, TE Dalton Kincaid, WR Elijah Moore, LB Shaq Thompson, CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, DT Phidarian Mathis, T Chase Lundt
Buccaneers: G Ben Bredeson, WR Chris Godwin, RB Bucky Irving, DL C.J. Brewer, G Elijah Klein, EDGE Haason Reddick, EDGE Markees Watts
Bengals at Steelers
Bengals: QB Sean Clifford, CB Marco Wilson, RB Samaje Perine, WR Jermaine Burton, TE Cam Grandy, DE Trey Hendrickson
Steelers: EDGE Alex Highsmith, CB Darius Slay, LB Cole Holcomb, DT Logan Lee, DT Brodric Martin, OL Andrus Peat
Chargers at Jaguars
Chargers: S Tony Jefferson, LB Kyle Kennard, T Bobby Hart, OL Foster Sarell, WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith, TE Will Dissly, DT Naquan Jones
Jaguars: CB Jourdan Lewis, WR Brian Thomas Jr., RB Cody Schrader, OL Anton Harrison, TE Hunter Long, DL Emmanuel Ogbah
Bears at Vikings
Bears: QB Case Keenum, LB T.J. Edwards, WR Jahdae Walker, DL Chris Williams, CB Jaylon Jones
Vikings: LB Chaz Chambliss, EDGE Jonathan Greenard, T Walter Rouse, TE Ben Sims, DL Elijah Williams
Texans at Titans
Texans: QB C.J. Stroud, S Jalen Pitre, K Ka’imi Fairbairn, WR Braxton Berrios, RB Dameon Pierce, OL Jarrett Kingston, OL Ed Ingram
Titans: S Xavier Woods, S Jerrick Reed II, G Drew Moss, T Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
Panthers at Falcons
Panthers: WR Hunter Renfrow, S Lathan Ransom, LB Trevin Wallace, C Nick Samac, DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, TE James Mitchell, DT Cam Jackson
Falcons: CB Dee Alford, CB Mike Hughes, LB Josh Woods, EDGE Leonard Floyd, G Matthew Bergeron, DL Elijah Garcia, DL Zach Harrison
Packers at Giants
Packers: K Brandon McManus, WR Malik Heath, CB Nate Hobbs, OL Donovan Jennings, DL Lukas Van Ness
Giants: LB Kayvon Thibodeaux, QB Jaxson Dart, WR Darius Slayton, S Tyler Nubin, DL Chauncey Golston, DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, T James Hudson III
Of the various good games to be played on Sunday, one game is a rematch of one of the biggest playoff stunners ever.
The Chargers and Jaguars get together for the first time since the 2022 playoffs, when Jacksonville erased a 27-0 deficit to win the game, 31-30.
It was the fifth biggest comeback in NFL history, regular season or postseason.
The Chargers led that game at the half, 27-7. It was 30-14 in the third quarter. The Jaguars reeled off 17 straight points to win the game with a 36-yard field goal as the clock hit zero.
This time around, both teams have different coaches. But the starting quarterbacks remain the same. Justin Herbert vs. Trevor Lawrence, who overcame four interceptions to engineer the playoff win..
Currently, the Chargers are 7-3, the Jaguars are 5-4. Both are, for now, on track for postseason appearances.
Herbert’s odds at winning the MVP are 25-1; in the attached video, Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey makes the case for Herbert to win it. (Lawrence’s odds are 400-1.)
And while some Chargers may have flashbacks to the collapse from the last time they played in Jacksonville, the Jaguars are battling demons of their own. They blew a 29-19 fourth-quarter lead in Week 10 against the Texans.
Jaguars practice squad tight end Patrick Herbert has never played against his brother, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, but he’s excited to see their teams play on Sunday.
Patrick Herbert, an undrafted rookie who has not yet played in the regular season, was teammates with his older brother for one season at Oregon, and he said the two of them both being in the NFL is a dream come true.
''It’s awesome. I think we kind of take it for granted sometimes, looking at him and being like, ‘oh he’s been in the league for five or six years’ or whatever. I think it’s a big accomplishment. That’s so cool,” Herbert said.
Patrick Herbert said the closest he and his brother have come to being on opposite sides in a game was playing rec basketball against each other. Although Patrick won’t be playing, their teams will face off with higher stakes on Sunday.
The Jaguars may have one of their key receivers back for Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
Brian Thomas Jr. is listed as questionable with his ankle injury.
Thomas was a limited participant on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week after missing last week’s game against the Texans.
Offensive tackle Anton Harrison (knee, ankle), cornerback Jourdan Lewis (neck), and tight end Hunter Long (hip, knee) have all been ruled out. Returning from injured reserve, tight end Brenton Strange (hip) has also been ruled out.
Guard Ezra Cleveland (knee, ankle), punter Logan Cooke (groin), linebacker Dennis Gardeck (chest), center Robert Hainsey (groin), linebacker Jack Kiser (shoulder), guard Patrick Mekari (knee), linebacker Ventrell Miller (back), guard Wyatt Milum (knee), and cornerback Greg Newsome (shoulder) are all off the injury report and are set to play.
The Chargers have five players listed as questionable to play in Jacksonville on Sunday.
Wide receiver Quentin Johnston is part of that group. Johnston has been limited in practice this week with a shin injury.
Cornerback Tarheeb Still (knee) has missed the last two games, but he was back to full practice this week before drawing the questionable tag. Safety Elijah Molden (knee) was added to the report after missing practice on Thursday. He was a limited participant on Friday.
Fullback Scott Matlock (chest) and right tackle Bobby Hart (knee) round out the questionable group. Tight end Oronde Gadsden (knee) has no injury designation after leaving last Sunday’s win over the Steelers and the rest of the players on the active roster are all set to play against the Jaguars.
The Jaguars have officially made a pair of roster moves.
Jacksonville confirmed the release of veteran defensive tackle Khalen Saunders on Thursday — a move that was reported earlier in the day.
Saunders is subject to waivers as a released veteran after the trading deadline.
To fill Saunders’ spot on the roster, the Jaguars have signed linebacker Branson Combs to the active roster off the club’s practice squad.
Combs has appeared in a pair of games for the Jaguars this season, playing 32 special teams snaps.
