By ben arthur
FOX Sports AFC South Writer
are the jacksonville jaguars Okay?
That’s a conversation we might need to have after another dominant performance.
The Jaguars (2-1) defeated a limited Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) en route to a 38-10 victory Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. It marked Jacksonville’s second straight victory, the first time it has posted consecutive wins since September 2019.
“These guys are playing with confidence,” coach Doug Pederson said. “Winning can do that.”
Here are some takeaways from the Jaguars’ performance in Week 3:
The conversion on fourth down started the offensive explosion
The Jaguars had just a 16-7 halftime lead. They went 1-for-4 in the red zone to start the game. The meat was left on the bone early.
That began to change in the third quarter. With Jacksonville facing a fourth-and-1 at the 50-yard line, third-year running back James Robinson had a 50-yard touchdown run. He started a 22-point unanswered streak for the Jaguars.
“Oh, it was great,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said of Robinson’s career. “Especially at that point in the game, when you’ve controlled the clock. You have the advantage … Being able to hit the ball. I think it was fourth down. It was a great play.”
Another great performance from Trevor Lawrence
After his best game as a pro in last week’s shutout against the Indianapolis Colts, Lawrence continued his efficient play. The second-year quarterback completed 72% of his passes (28 of 39) for 262 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and a 115.5 passer rating, the second-highest of his career.
The former No. 1 overall pick tore apart the Chargers’ defense in the passing game. He averaged a career-low 2.39 seconds to throw, and on all passes taken under 2.5 seconds, he was 19-for-23 for 162 yards and a touchdown, according to Next Gen Stats.
Lawrence divvied up the wealth. Five Jaguars pass receivers had at least three receptions and three had a touchdown.
Pederson was quick to point out that pass protection shone during Lawrence’s big day.
“I think our offensive line really took control of this game,” Pederson said.
Jumping around hurting Herbert, Chargers offense
Herbert, the Chargers’ star quarterback, played with fractured rib cartilage, but the Jaguars still had to take advantage of the weakened offense.
that they did.
Jacksonville generated back-to-back turnovers in the second quarter. First, rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd intercepted Herbert when running back Sony Michel threw a pass deep into Chargers territory. Then defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot fired Herbert. Turnovers led to 10 points.
While the Chargers had 312 yards of offense, the Jaguars limited them to just one touchdown, 1-for-3 in the red zone and 5-for-13 on third down.
Milestones
Here are some things the Jaguars accomplished on Sunday:
It was their biggest point difference win since Week 15 of 2017, when they thrashed the Houston Texans by 38.
They had back-to-back wins of 20-plus points for the first time since 2000, according to ESPN.
Lawrence secured his first road win in 10 road starts.
Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans screenwriter for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) before moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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