The Jaguars and Jets met on Sunday at Met Life Stadium in what was, effectively, an eliminator for the No. 1 overall pick. The Jets at 3-11 and Jaguars and 2-12 both have one eye on the NFL Draft at this point, but with the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks from 2021 both struggling at quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, the hope late in the year is to see some flashes to create some reason for optimism heading into the offseason.
On Sunday, Wilson’s flashes came mostly with his legs with 91 yards on four carries, while Lawrence continued to have pops of impressive throws, particularly between the 20s, but the red zone remains a rough spot for the Jaguars. That reared its ugly head on the final drive of the game after forcing a Jets field goal to keep the deficit inside a touchdown at 26-21, and Lawrence orchestrated an impressive two-minute drill to get inside the 5 (on a scramble by Lawrence) with more than 30 seconds to play. After an incompletion on first down, there were still 29 seconds on the clock, plenty of time considering they were only going to get three more cracks at a game-winning touchdown.
However, after a near interception somehow found its way to a receiver on the one, Lawrence and the Jaguars panicked and the rookie quarterback spiked the ball on third-and-goal from the one with 13 seconds on the clock, a baffling move to take away one more shot at a TD.
Lawrence 4-yd pass to Jones at NYJ 1 then spike to stop the clock#Jaguars 21 #Jets 26 Q4 pic.twitter.com/akc7AsewOp
— Sports 24/7 (@Sports24x7_) December 26, 2021
Naturally, on fourth down, the Jaguars were not only unable to score but also struggled to get set and had an illegal shift penalty that would’ve negated a successful play anyways, falling to get a stranglehold on the top pick — particularly with the Texans also getting a win on Sunday over the Chargers. As a whole, that’s a good thing for the franchise, but you would prefer to see your rookie quarterback able to make better, more clear-headed decisions in a big moment like this and not panic spike the ball to take away a crucial extra opportunity.