After two disappointing losses in back-to-back weeks for the Jacksonville Jaguars, they got back in the win column by beating the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 in week four.
The Jaguars came out on fire to begin the game, scoring on two of their first three possessions, and they didn’t let up all game. Jacksonville’s second possession of the game was an eight-play, 72-yard drive that resulted in a 30-yard touchdown throw to former Atlanta Falcon Calvin Ridley. The ensuing possession for the Jaguars resulted in an eight-play, 46-yard drive that ended in a 56-yard field goal pushing their lead to 10-0.
Atlanta already found themselves struggling to begin the game, but things got worse in the second quarter. Atlanta found themselves in plus territory, but that didn’t last long as Desmond Ridder threw a 61-yard pick-six to Darious Williams. Williams is a hometown hero for the Jaguars, and his first interception with the team resulted in a huge score that pushed the lead to 17-0. On the very next offensive play for the Falcons, Ridder had yet another pass intercepted, this time by Andre Cisco.
The Falcons went into the locker room at halftime shutout but came out with an impressive eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the second half. Desmond Ridder hit wideout Drake London on a back-shoulder pass for a 15-yard score to cut the Jaguars’ lead to 17-7.
Jacksonville managed the clock very well in the second half and put the Falcons in a precarious situation. The Jaguars had a 13-play, 65-yard drive early in the fourth quarter that chewed up over seven minutes on the clock that ended in a field goal by Brandon McManus. Late in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville had another double-digit play drive resulting in a field goal to extend the lead to 23-7, and essentially close the game out.
Offensively for the Jaguars, quarterback Trevor Lawrence had a nice bounce-back game as he completed 23-of-30 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown. Christian Kirk led all receivers with eight receptions for 84 yards, Evan Engram had seven catches for 59 yards, and Calvin Ridley had two catches for 30 yards, including one touchdown.
Defensively, Jacksonville got after it all afternoon, especially linebacker Josh Allen. Allen recorded his second three-sack game of the season, he had three QB hits, two tackles for a loss, and a strip fumble on Desmond Ridder. Both Andre Cisco and Darious Williams had an interception, and the Jaguars defense as a whole had nine passes deflected.
Jacksonville improves to 2-2 on the season and will be looking to stack these wins moving forward. The Jaguars will play their second consecutive game in London next Sunday versus the Buffalo Bills. It’s a battle of the Josh Allen’s.