With a knee injury, quarterback Trevor Lawrence persevered, the Jaguars defense played tenaciously for three quarters, and they continued to play tenaciously until the end, and running back Travis Etienne Jr. once more showed that he was difficult to stop out of the end zone. The outcome: In front of 70,509 fans at the Caesars Superdome, the Jaguars defeated the New Orleans Saints 31–24 for their fourth straight victory on Thursday Night Football.
"We're pleased with the outcome," stated Lawrence. "Winning in this league is hard. We were aware that it would not be simple, particularly during a brief week. We faced numerous obstacles. Guys who are injured are still playing through things.
"We simply banded together and managed to prevail. That's the main idea here."
With 3:08 left in the game, wide receiver Christian Kirk caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Lawrence to give the Jaguars the lead and prevent a Saints comeback. With :21 remaining, cornerback Montaric Brown, starting in lieu of injured starter Tyson Campbell, successfully stopped a fourth-down pass in the end zone to seal the victory.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson stated, "We talked about this week: It's a 60-minute football game." "Guys perform their roles and own their jobs. All I asked them to do was that.
For the first time since 2007, the Jaguars are 5-2 and guarantee to finish at least one game ahead of the AFC South leaders, the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.
"I think it shows a lot about the character, the professionalism in our room – not shying away from adversity," said Kirk. "I think our current situation is good. Though we still have a lot of work ahead of us, our team's ability to bounce back and play four games in 19 days while going 4-0 speaks volumes."
The Saints led 24-9 in the fourth quarter, but with 6:38 left, they were tied 24-24 thanks to touchdown passes from starting quarterback Derek Carr and runs from quarterback Taysom Hill.
For a touchdown in the third quarter, linebacker Foye Oluokun returned an interception. At that point in the third quarter, the Saints had only managed three field goals, and the play had put the Jaguars up 24-9.
In a game against the Indianapolis Colts four days prior, Lawrence, who had been doubtful going into Thursday, played and completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. For ninety yards, Kirk caught six passes.
Lawrence stated that it felt fairly good. It satisfied me. In my opinion, it didn't set it back and didn't bother me too much. And for that, I'm incredibly grateful. The objective was to play the game, figure out how to win, and avoid losing.
With his 53 yards of rushing and two first-half touchdowns, Etienne helped the Jaguars take a 7-0 lead at the beginning of the first quarter and a 14-3 lead early in the second.
With one interception and 33 of 55 passes completed, Carr gained 301 yards and one touchdown.
"The biggest stat that matters is the scoreboard, and that we won the game," stated Pederson.
Entering the game leading the NFL in that category with fifteen, the Jaguars recorded one takeaway. In addition, they have 13 sacks for the season after one by seasoned outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot.
"The defense has been playing outstanding all season long," Pederson stated. "Their performance was excellent once more this evening. Holding them to early field goals was important.
"This is the horror season," and the Jaguars managed to escape New Orleans after a late scare against the Saints on "Thursday Night Football."
Jacksonville won 31–24, improving to 5-2 on the season as Doug Pederson’s team staved off a late rally attempt from New Orleans. The Saints' record fell to 3-4 with the loss, while the Jaguars' winning streak now stands at four games.
With an early lead in the first half and a 24-9 lead going into the fourth quarter, the Jaguars dominated the majority of the game. The Saints offense was completely out of sync at the moment; quarterback Derek Carr was having trouble connecting with any of his primary receivers save running back Alvin Kamara, having just completed a pick-six to Foye Oluokun.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, on the other hand, failed to shut out the opposition and allowed the Saints to continue. At Caesers SuperDome, the momentum had completely shifted to the home team after two touchdowns by New Orleans in the fourth quarter tied the game with less than six minutes remaining.
Until Christian Kirk saved the day for the Jaguars, that is. With 3:08 remaining, the wide receiver broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville the lead again after the two teams traded punts.
Towards the end of the game, the Saints came dangerously close to tying the score. Foster Moreau, the tight end, had a third-and-goal touchdown in his grasp, but he was unable to make the catch. The fourth-down pass intended for Chris Olave was intercepted, but the Jags managed to hold on and win.
Despite their imperfections, the Jaguars have a proven ability to win ugly almost anywhere. Weeks after winning back-to-back games in London, Jacksonville traveled to the Bayou on Thursday to play the Saints and begin Week 7. After playing through a knee injury that made it doubtful if he would suit up, Travis Etienne Jr. scored three times in a row, and the Jaguars overcame a late scare to win 31–24, their fourth straight game, and maintain their unbeaten record in the AFC South.
Despite a mixed passing performance, Lawrence helped Etienne on the ground with 63 rushing yards, but the Jaguars defense did more damage early on in the Superdome. Although New Orleans had the better "D" going into the game, Saints quarterback Derek Carr was at a loss for answers until the end of the game. He kept throwing into traffic and didn't check the ball down to a busy Alvin Kamara. Not that the Saints didn't make any threats to rally. In the final minutes of play, Carr and Michael Thomas connected on a touchdown pass that came before a two-point conversion, tying the score at 24. However, it was too little, too late, as the Jaguars responded right away, scoring on a 44-yard field goal. Kirk, Christian catch and run.
Apart from the fact that New Orleans failed to score for three quarters? When it mattered most, Christian Kirk delivered a game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter by outpacing Tyrann Mathieu and the Saints' usually solid secondary. Lawrence had some big runs, including a scramble to set up a scoring drive, but he wasn't flawless and struggled early to move the chains through the air. Despite having few opportunities, Travis Etienne showed his vision in the red zone, where he scored twice. The defense also showed promise early on, regularly pressuring Derek Carr into tight coverage or checkdowns, and five different players deflected passes. In particular, the linebacker corps was dispersed throughout the field; Devin Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun combined for 25 tackles.
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