For today, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ kicking woes are put to rest. Head coach Urban Meyer decided to give kicker Matthew Wright the nod today instead of the veteran Josh Lambo. Wright more than delivered, kicking the game-winning 53-yard field goal for the win. It was that kick that ended the team’s 20-game losing streak, and for the first time in a long time, they gave fans some hope for the future.
With Lambo inactive, the Jaguars’ fate was put in the right foot of Wright. Trevor Lawrence and the offense got off to a solid start, and Wright put some early points on the board, nailing a 40-yard field goal. The subsequent three drives, however, were not as lucrative as all three ended with Logan Cooke punting the ball.
In the closing moments of the first half, Lawrence drove the Jags down the field once again, delivering a 28-yard strike to Marvin Jones Jr. to put the game within arms reach. Wright made sure to secure the extra point.
The offensive rhythm continued into the second half as the team came out firing. This time, it was RB James Robinson who scored, giving the Jaguars their first lead of the game, 17-13. Wright, again, put the extra point through the uprights.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars pushed into Dolphin territory but needed help from special teams. Coach Urban Meyer sent out Wright for a 54-yard attempt. The ball shot to the right, but Wright drew the ball back in, squeezing it between the uprights and over the crossbar. Wright gave it his all as it would go down as his career-long. The game was tied at 20-20 at that point.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=zEFYD3lxvh-1564556-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
The Jags’ defense came up big, stopping Miami and getting a turnover on downs. Following a difficult set of plays, Meyer decided to go for a 4th-and-8 instead of kicking a would-be 62-yard field goal with five seconds to go. Many thought it would be a hail-mary. Meyer decided to try and get one extra play in, though. A quick nine-yard pitch and catch from Lawrence to Laviska Shenault Jr. set up the final play of the game with one second remaining.
ONE.
TWO.
THREE.Hat trick of field goals for Matthew Wright!@Jaguars 🏈🏈🏈 pic.twitter.com/Fwpw9KWXnq
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) October 17, 2021
With the game on the line, Wright lined up for a 53-yard field goal — and nailed it. The kick gave him the first game-winning field goal of his career and his second kick of 50-plus. The team bench raided the field, rushing into the endzone to pile on top of Wright. Josh Lambo held up the new Jaguars kicker in celebration, too, likely passing on the torch to Wright. Today, for the first time in 20 games, the Jaguars are winners and they wouldn’t have been able to do it without a clutch performance from Wright.