Chiefs-Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence stumbles, scores late TD in Jacksonville’s MNF win

By Jesse Newell, Saad Yousuf and Jenna West

The Jacksonville Jaguars improved to 4-1 on Monday night as they escaped the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28 with quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

On first-and-goal, Lawrence had his right foot stepped on as he took the snap. He fell over twice, got back up and scrambled into the end zone from 1 yard out to give the Jaguars the lead with 23 seconds remaining.

“It was sheer panic on the ground,” Lawrence told ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge about the moment. “There was really no one around, so (I) went and made a play.”

Lawrence, who turned 26 on Monday, went 18-for-25 with 221 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Jaguars QB showed off his athleticism with his legs, rushing for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

Monday marked the Jaguars’ first win against the Chiefs since November 2009.

Kansas City fell to 2-3. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was 29-for-41 with 318 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, which was returned for a touchdown. Mahomes also added six carries, 60 rushing yards and one rushing score.

Trevor Lawrence’s highs outweigh the lows

The game was filled with highs and lows for Lawrence. Jacksonville’s first two drives of the evening were three-and-outs, with Lawrence getting flagged for an illegal-forward-pass penalty when he crossed the line of scrimmage right in front of the marker on the sideline. On the Jaguars’ next drive, they got all the way down to the Kansas City 1-yard line. On fourth-and-goal, Lawrence tried to jump over the top and extend the ball, which was immediately knocked out of his hands, resulting in a fumble recovered by the Chiefs. Lawrence also twice failed to snap the ball in time, resulting in delay-of-game penalties, including one on the final drive.

However, on this night, Lawrence’s highs made up for some of the struggles. He threw some great passes, including some big throws on the final drive. None was bigger than his throw down the right sideline to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on the game-winning drive, which came on third down and with Lawrence facing pressure from the Kansas City defensive front. He followed that up with a dime to receiver Dyami Brown on the next play.

But perhaps the best part of Lawrence’s night was how he managed to use his legs as a weapon. Lawrence was the leading rusher for the Jaguars with 54 yards on 10 carries, including two touchdowns. Neither of the touchdowns was a sneak type of play, with Lawrence running it in from 10 yards out in the third quarter to tie the game at 14. The highlight of the night, though, was Lawrence’s game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game.

The Jaguars were at the 1-yard line when Lawrence tripped and stumbled to the ground — twice — coming out from under center. Lawrence said he was initially thinking about just throwing the ball away, but he got to his feet, scrambled to the left and lowered his head to dive into the end zone in the ultimate no-no-yes-yes type of play. — Saad Yousuf, NFL staff writer

Not-so-special teams

Kansas City’s special teams under longtime coordinator Dave Toub typically provide the team a weekly boost. That wasn’t the case in a competitive game Monday night.

The Chiefs’ gunners routinely missed blocks, which limited the opportunity to return punts. A holding penalty negated a 63-yard kickoff return by Brashard Smith, and later in a tie game, the Jaguars’ LeQuint Allen Jr. broke free for a 38-yard kickoff return to set up a go-ahead field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, officials flagged Kansas City for an illegal double-team block, which started the offense’s next possession inside the 15. Then, after the Chiefs took the lead, kicker Harrison Butker booted the kickoff out of bounds to give the Jaguars the ball at the 40.

And finally, with one last chance to come back, the Chiefs had a holding penalty on their final kickoff return with 23 seconds left.

It’s a compliment to the Chiefs that it’s noticeable when their special teams get outplayed. But during a critical game early in the season, that’s exactly what took place. — Jesse Newell, Chiefs beat writer

Controversial call swings the game late

The Jaguars came out of halftime playing excellent football on both sides. They forced Kansas City’s offense to go three-and-out on the first drive of the second half. On their first offensive drive of the second half, the Jaguars went 87 yards in seven plays to finish with a touchdown and tie the game at 14.

On the ensuing Chiefs drive, Kansas City marched down the field, but Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd added to his impressive season in a big way, stepping in front of a Mahomes pass at the 1-yard line and taking it 99 yards for a touchdown, the longest interception return for a linebacker in the regular season in NFL history. On the Chiefs’ next drive, the Jaguars defense stepped up again, forcing a punt early in the fourth quarter.

The tide turned in a controversial way on the next Jacksonville drive. Pinned inside their own 20-yard line, Lawrence threw a short pass intended for receiver Parker Washington. Chiefs defensive back Jaden Hicks came across the field and knocked Washington backward while the ball was in the air, allowing Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie to snag an easy interception and set the Chiefs offense up in the red zone. The Chiefs, who hadn’t scored any points since early in the second quarter, got into the end zone two plays later to tie the score at 21.

Lawrence’s heroics late were enough for the Jaguars, but the game swung in a big way with the missed pass interference. — Yousuf

Biggest swing of the NFL season?

The Chiefs, statistically, played well enough for a comfortable victory against the Jaguars on Monday night. But in the end, they couldn’t overcome one enormous mistake.

It looked like Mahomes would hit receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with a short touchdown pass to take the lead, but Lloyd, who had dropped into coverage, intercepted it. Lloyd showed off his athleticism from there, returning the pick 99 yards for a turn-the-tide touchdown.

It’s almost impossible to have a bigger momentum shift than that in a football game. According to the win-probability calculator at rbsdm.com, Mahomes’ pick six was worth negative-12.7 points. It also moved the Jaguars’ expected win percentage at the time from 24 percent to 69 percent. — Newell

A change… but not for the better

Chiefs coach Andy Reid deserved credit for being one of the most aggressive coaches in the NFL early on when it came to fourth-down decisions. That all changed Monday, and provided one reason why a Chiefs team that averaged a healthy 8.4 yards per play entering the fourth quarter didn’t put up more points.

When the Chiefs faced a fourth-and-2 at the Jaguars’ 42 in the first quarter, they punted while going against the numbers. On the first drive of the second half, the Chiefs faced another fourth-and-2 at their own 41. They punted again.

Even a fourth-and-10 in the fourth quarter past midfield while trailing by a touchdown could’ve been a go-for-it call. Again, Kansas City kicked it away. Perhaps if the Chiefs offense had struggled all game, there would be more of an argument to go conservative.

In a game where the Chiefs and Mahomes were rolling, however, those small percentage points of win probability surrendered ultimately proved costly. — Newell

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