Jacksonville Jaguars 31-24 New Orleans Saints: Trevor Lawrence throws game-winning touchdown to Christian Kirk
Travis Etienne rushed for two touchdowns for the third straight game as the Jacksonville Jaguars held off a fightback from the New Orleans Saints, who levelled the score from 24-9 down before coming up short after Christian Kirk's decisive touchdown.
Friday 20 October 2023 11:53, UK
Travis Etienne ran for two touchdowns, Foyesade Oluokun returned an interception for a score, and Christian Kirk's 44-yard touchdown lifted the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 31-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence returned from a sprained knee that forced him out of the final minutes of Sunday's victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and wound up leading Jacksonville (5-2) with 59 yards rushing.
He also completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and one TD to help the Jags win their fourth straight and give them their best start since opening 5-2 in 2007.
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Kirk's touchdown broke the tie with 3:08 left. The Saints (3-4) were in position to answer when they drove inside the Jacksonville 10 in the final minute, but stalled out with four straight incomplete passes.
A third-down pass bounced off of New Orleans native Foster Moreau's hands in the back of the end zone and a fourth-down timing throw to Chris Olave along the left sideline fell incomplete, ending the comeback bid.
Jacksonville gave the Saints numerous chances to stay in the game, losing two fumbles in the first half and committing several untimely penalties throughout the game. It almost came back to haunt them.
The Saints rallied from 24-9 down to tie the game on touchdowns by Taysom Hill on a one-yard, fourth-down run and Michael Thomas on a 17-yard reception - the latter followed by Derek Carr's pass to Alvin Kamara for a two-point conversion.
Carr finished 33 of 55 for 301 yards, and New Orleans outgained Jacksonville 407 yards to 330, but the Saints again struggled to finish promising drives in the end zone after losing in a similar fashion in Week Six at Houston.
Stats leaders:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Passing: Trevor Lawrence, 20/29, 204 yards, 1 TD
- Rushing: Trevor Lawrence, 8 carries, 59 yards
- Travis Etienne, 14 carries, 53 yards, 2 TDs
- Receiving: Christian Kirk, 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD
Tennessee Titans
- Passing: Derek Carr, 33/55, 301 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Rushing: Alvin Kamara, 17 carries, 62 yards
- Receiving: Alvin Kamara, 12 catches, 91 yards
After practicing on a limited basis this week and being listed as questionable, Lawrence completed five of his first six passes for 60 yards and even scrambled for nine yards during a game-opening touchdown drive that ended with Etienne's two-yard run.
New Orleans' first drive ended with Blake Grupe's missed 51-yard field goal. But the Saints got the ball right back when Kirk was stripped by cornerback Paulson Adebo after a 19-yard catch at the New Orleans 40, with defensive end Carl Granderson recovering for New Orleans.
New Orleans punted three plays later, but Jacksonville turned it over again when Tevaughn Campbell, who was trying to block, collided hard with returner Jamal Agnew as Lou Hedley's punt descended and hit Campbell's back.
Lonnie Johnson recovered for New Orleans, which stalled on the Jaguars five-yard line and settled for Grupe's field goal.
Etienne became the first player in Jaguars history to rush for two touchdowns in three consecutive games when he ran around the left end for a 17-yard score that made it 14-3.
After their seventh third-down failure of the half, the Saints settled for another Grupe field goal to make it 14-6.
In the final minutes of the half, Jacksonville converted a fake punt with punter Logan Cooke completing a 13-yard pass to Tim Jones on fourth and two, setting up Brandon McManus' 43-yard field goal for a 17-6 halftime lead.
Scoring summary
What did they say?
Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk on his winning touchdown: "I don't think I've run that fast since college. That was some vintage stuff. I'm glad I was able to do it in that moment."
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on his knee injury: "It's crazy how you have something like that going on and don't plan on moving a lot, and you end up running the ball more than you usually do. It felt pretty good. It didn't bother me too much and definitely didn't set it back. That was the goal, to play, find a way to win the game and not set it back."
Saints running back Alvin Kamara: "We're finding it hard to start fast, finding it hard to maintain, to execute sometimes and we're finding it hard to finish. That's kind of the glaring and recurring theme."
What's next?
The Jaguars now hit the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week Eight, while the Saints will visit the Indianapolis Colts.
Week Seven continues Sunday when the Detroit Lions face the Baltimore Ravens from 6pm, live on Sky Sports NFL, followed by the Los Angeles Chargers against the Kansas City Chiefs.
