After going back and forth during the regulation period, the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to tie up their Week 13 game against the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 24-24 but ultimately fell in overtime. As a result, the Jags lost their 11th consecutive game, piling on to what’s already been a rough season.
Following the trend fans have seen the last few weeks, the Jags were able to start fast again Sunday. In fact, they scored a touchdown during the first drive, though it took a bit of luck and probably should’ve been Mike Glennon’s first turnover. The veteran overshot D.J. Chark Jr. while rolling to his left and gave Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd a chance for a pick.
However, the ball ricocheted off his hands and landed in the waiting hands of rookie Laviska Shenault Jr., who was in the end zone and got a freebie.
After missing the extra point that followed, the Jags took the lead 6-0 at that point. They were also able to add a Chase McLaughlin field goal before the first quarter to make the score 9-0.
Finally, after a slow start, the Vikings were able to get going late in the second quarter. Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and company were able to put together a 10-play, 78-yard drive and ended it with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen. Like the Jags on their first attempt, the point after attempt was missed, putting the score at 9-6.
After the half, the Jags struck first again in the first series of the third quarter, but this time it was due to a pick-six by linebacker Joe Schobert. The throw, which came from Cousins, was a bad attempt to hit running back Dalvin Cook who seemingly wasn’t on the same page as his quarterback. As a result, the ball was thrown behind Cook and went into the waiting arms of Schobert.
Unfortunately for the Jags, the turnover didn’t bother Cousins all that much as the Vikings would find the end-zone during their next two drives thanks to running back C.J. Hamm and rookie receiver Justin Jefferson. The contributions from both put the game at a score of 19-16 in favor of the Vikings.
Towards the end of the third quarter, both the Jags and Vikings exchanged fumbles. The first one came from Glennon on a rushing attempt where he was stripped by Vikings defensive end Jordan Brailford, who also recovered the ball at the Jags’ 34-yard line. However, Cook gave the ball back during the first play of the fourth quarter on a 1-yard goal line attempt. There simply was an issue on the exchange between him and Cousins and linebacker Myles Jack was right there to jump on it.
Unfortunately, the only good to come from that play was that it set the Vikings up to get a safety and increase their lead to 21-16. The Vikings would also add three more thanks to placekicker Dan Bailey at the 3:50-minute mark of the fourth, putting the score at 24-16.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, the Jags weren’t going to lay down and put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive before the 2-minute warning. Led by a combination of Glennon, James Robinson, D.J. Chark, Collin Johnson, and several others, the Jags found themselves at Minnesota’s 1-yard line. From there, Robinson was able to push it in while Johnson tied the game with a 2-point conversion. As a result, the game went into overtime.
At the 7:19 minute mark of overtime, Glennon threw a pick that ended up in the hands of Harrison Smith at Jacksonville’s 46. Unsurprisingly, the Vikings leaned on Cook and ended up at the 1-yard line. While he wasn’t able to score, he set Bailey up for an easy walk-off field goal that put the game at a final of 27-24.
The Jags once again fought hard for coach Doug Marrone, however, the end will probably be coming for him once 2021 arrives. Luckily, there will be no time for him, the staff, and the players to worry about the inevitable as they will host the Tennessee Titans Week 14.
The two rivals last met Week 2, and as most of the Jags’ games have been, it went down to the wire and the final score was 33-30. Fans should expect a similar battle come Sunday as the Titans will be coming off of a loss to the Cleveland Browns.