2024-10-21 03:25:04
2. Jags Dominate Second Quarter
After spending most of the first quarter on the sideline, Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense got rolling on their second possession of the game, quickly traveling 68 yards in just eight plays. Lawrence completed six of his first seven passes, with the sole incompletion coming when Kyle Dugger’s blitz disrupted the timing on a screen inside the red zone.
Otherwise, the Jags were ripping off big plays left and right on the drive as New England struggled to make a stand. Passes of 13 yards and 24 yards were the big plays through the air, and runs of 10 yards and 13 yards did more damage on the ground.
After an unimpressive three-and-out from the Patriots offense, the Jags offense picked right back up from where they left off, hitting a 58-yard bomb to Brian Thomas with a pinpoint throw from Lawrence. They’d stick to the ground from there with Tank Bigsby picking up the final 18 yards of the drive on the ground on three-straight running plays. He’d finish off a one-yard touchdown run to give Jacksonville their first lead of the game at 14-7.
The Patriots defense forced an initial punt, but was gashed on the ground and through the air and showed little resistance against the second-quarter onslaught. The Jags racked up 150 yards in just 14 plays with touchdowns in two drives.
Meanwhile, the Patriots offense stayed cold, with Hunter Henry’s false start on 3rd-and-5 just before the two-minute warning contributing to a second-straight three-and-out.
That’s when things got even worse for New England as Jacksonville’s special teams delivered a huge play of their own with Parker Washington returning the punt 95 yards for the Jags third-straight touchdown. It was a first-half backbreaker, as the Patriots good start was quickly erased in a lopsided second quarter.
It was 22-10 at the half.
