Trevor Lawrence tripped and fell to the ground, stumbled trying to get up, finally got back on his feet, then raced for one touchdown with 23 seconds to go to lift the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 31-28 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.
The chaos ended with the Jaguars (4-1) snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Chiefs (2-3) and matching their win total from last season.
Patrick Mahomes, who had the Chiefs in position for a 28-24 lead with 1:45 to play, had one last chance with 16 seconds remaining. But he failed to muster much of a threat, and his final throw was incomplete, leading to a wild celebration for the home team.
Lawrence ran for two touchdowns on the night and also threw for a score, which helped balance out a performance that included two turnovers.
He was perfect when it mattered most for the Jaguars. Lawrence dropped a pinpoint pass to Brian Thomas Jr. for a 33-yard gain on a capital play, then hit Deami Brown for another big gain. Chamari Conner was flagged for pass interference against Thomas on the next play, setting up a Lawrence trip and a score.
Stats Leaders:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Traffic: Patrick Mahomes 29/41, 318 yards, 1 TD, 1 int
- haste: Patrick Mahomes, 6 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD
- receive: Tyquan Thornton, 3 catches, 90 yards
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Traffic: Trevor Lawrence, 18/25, 221 yards, 1 TD, 1 int
- haste: Trevor Lawrence, 10 carries, 54 yards, 2 TDs
- receive: Brian Thomas Jr., 4 catches, 80 yards
Right guard Patrick Mekari stepped on Lawrence’s right foot as he took the snap, and the quarterback fell several yards in the backfield. His first thought was “throw it away.” But when he got to his feet, he saw Hara and took it. He broke a tackle and somehow found the end zone.
It helped that several defenders, including Chief Defense Officer Chris Jones, were stopped on the play.
Lawrence completed 18 of 25 passes for 221 yards. He also ran for a team-high 54 yards.
Mahomes accounted for two touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt ran for two more scores for Kansas City, which has won 23 in a row when leading by at least 14 points. The Chiefs took an early 14-0 lead, partly due to a fumble by Lawrence at the goal line.
Jacksonville’s comeback got a huge boost from linebacker Devin Lloyd, the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September. Lloyd returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was the longest regular-season interception return by a linebacker in NFL history.
Lloyd stepped in front of Mahomes’ pass intended for Juju Smith-Schuster at the goal line and raced the other way for the league-leading takeaway.
Mahomes and Hunt got up, then got up at full speed along the Jaguars’ flanks. He picked off a block from Josh Hines-Allen and then carried the ball tight as Tyquan Thornton attempted to knock it down on the five-yard line.
Jaguars two-way wide receiver Travis Hunter has run two big turnovers, including the fourth long-time reception by a rookie this season. Hunter made 44 turnovers in the third quarter — and it wasn’t easy.
The Heisman Trophy winner jumped and got to Conner to get the ball and then caught him even though his legs were taken down by Brian Cook. The Jaguars scored four plays later to tie the game at 14-14.
The catch and run in the second quarter was almost as good. He took a short pass in the left flat and caught two defenders on his way to a 12-yard gain.
The Chiefs bounced off the field in the third quarter after appearing to adjust his ankle but returned a few plays later. Worthy was listed as questionable as he exited the team trip with a swollen ankle. Chiefs rookie Lt. Josh Simmons played despite being added to the injury report shortly before the illness took off.
Jaguars running back Te Brenton Strange left the game in the first half with a left hip injury and did not return. Jacksonville played without DeTravon Walker, who had surgery last Monday to repair an injured left wrist.
What was said?
Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence: “What a crazy finish. It’s a big win. Obviously they’re a good team. They’ve been a good team for a long time. They’re tough to beat, and they really are. At the end of the game, they’re always in it and they always seem to make the plays.”
“It was great to go and take it and have to win it in the end, and they put in a good drive. And to show a big stage says something.”
Defensive tackle Chris Jones from Lawrence Journey: “We have to finish that play. It was a terrible play for him to be able to break up a lot of tackles. It put it on us as a defense. We have to finish. We have to get him down there.”
Jaguars coach Liam Quinn: “It’s a goofy finish, but what a difficult moment for him. He’s not lost. We like to make things very interesting. But resilience is really what I think this team is about.”
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