The Dallas Cowboys appeared to be on the verge of accomplishing something they hadn't done in 15 years -- make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. However, the Jacksonville Jaguars forced them to wait at least another week, thanks to their 40-34 overtime win.
The Jaguars trailed 27-10, before finishing the game on a 30-7 run. They sealed the win with their defense as safety Rayshawn Jenkins hauled in his career-high second interception off a deflected Dak Prescott pass, and he took it 52 yards for the game-ending touchdown. The play was incredibly clutch since the defense needed a stop to bail out their offense after they went three-and-out at the start of the overtime period.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, put together the signature game of his career so far, throwing a career-high four touchdowns in addition to 318 yards and an interception on 27-of-42 passing. Following a 53-yard field goal from kicker Brett Maher that increased the Cowboys' lead to 27-10, Lawrence threw a touchdown on three consecutive drives -- a career-long 59-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Zay Jones, a 10-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Marvin Jones and a three-yard touchdown throw to Jones once again.
With the go-ahead passing touchdown to Zay Jones that made the score 31-27, Lawrence became the first Jaguars player with a passing touchdown on three straight drives since Blake Bortles in 2015. Jones' three receiving touchdowns set a new career high and surpassed his season total of two that he had accumulated in the season's first 14 weeks. Lawrence has now thrown 14 touchdowns and only one interception in his last six games dating back to Week 9, making him one of the most locked-in quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott nearly played well enough to win despite the two interceptions. He threw for 256 yards and three scores, including a go-ahead 13-yard strike to wide receiver Noah Brown with just over three minutes left in the game that gave the Cowboys a 34-31 advantage. On the very next drive, Lawrence escaped pressure and sprinted down the field inside the Cowboys' 40, but Dallas safety Jayron Kearse came in from behind to knock the football loose. Of course, linebacker Micah Parsons jumped on top of the football, swinging the game in the Cowboys' favor.
However, the Jaguars defense came up with a humongous three-and-out, getting Lawrence the ball back for one last chance trailing 34-31 with 1:13 to go and one timeout from his own 29. Lawrence delivered, leading a seven-play drive that gained 41 yards to set up kicker Riley Patterson for the game-tying 48-yard field goal that forced overtime.
The Dallas defense didn't get out of Jacksonville unscathed, losing linebacker Leighton Vander Esch with a neck injury and defensive lineman Dorrance Armstrong to a knee injury. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have to put together one of the best coaching performances of his career in order to slow down NFL MVP candidate and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in Week 16.
The Jaguars could have tapped out down 27-10 against the Cowboys, the NFC's top wild-card team. No one would have blamed them. They're a team that has had the first overall draft pick in each of the last two drafts, very much still building toward the team they hope to be. However, Lawrence turned it on, continuing his top-five quarterback level of play that he has brought to the field in each of his last six games.
Staring down a three-score hole and responding by throwing three consecutive touchdowns is All-Pro-level play. After a rough rookie season, the Jaguars can now be confident they have their franchise quarterback. Timely plays by their defense also can't be overlooked either. The two interceptions by Jenkins were huge as his first created the opportunity for Lawrence's three straight touchdown passes, and the second one won the game. They also forced Dallas to go three-and-out after Lawrence fumbled near the end of regulation. That sequence gave their offense just enough time to get in range for the 48-yard field goal that forced overtime.
This loss is much more on Prescott's arm and the offense than it is on the defense. Leading 27-17, Prescott made the costly mistake of throwing an interception inside his own 20. Four plays later, Lawrence threw his second of three straight touchdowns, and the Jaguars were only down 27-24.
Additionally, failing to get a single first down after the defense stripped Lawrence on a scramble is glaring. Two first downs may have sealed the win in regulation for Dallas, but instead it went three-and-out. The Jaguars proceeded to move the ball on a tired Cowboys defense and kick the game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime.
Prescott's ball security nearly cost the Cowboys a win a week ago against the NFL's worst team, the Houston Texans. In Week 15, it did. He's thrown 11 interceptions in his nine starts this year, a troubling trend that will definitely doom them against the Eagles and down the road in the playoffs if not corrected.
Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins' first interception gave Jacksonville the life it needed. The Jaguars were able to start an offensive possession in Dallas territory shortly after Lawrence threw the longest touchdown pass of his career, 59 yards to Zay Jones. Four plays after Jenkins' interception, Lawrence threw another touchdown to Marvin Jones that had them within three points, 27-24. Game on.
The play of the game couldn't be anything else but Jenkins' game-winning, 52-yard pick-six. After the Jaguars offense couldn't get going and was forced to punt, their defense was in a precarious spot: Surrender a field goal and the game is over. However, Jenkins was once again in the right place at the right time, showing great concentration to haul in a deflected pass and turn on the jets to seal the come-from-behind win.
Next week, the Cowboys return home to face the NFL-leading 13-1 Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Eve in a fight for NFC East supremacy. The Jaguars hit the road and head to The Meadowlands to face the New York Jets, the team that picked former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson one spot after Lawrence went first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins' second interception of Dak Prescott comes off a deflection, and he takes it all the way back for a 52-yard, game-winning pick-six. Jacksonville matches the second-biggest comeback in team history after winning 40-34 in OT after trailing 27-10.
Dallas can win with a made field goal since they are the second team to have the ball.
A false start penalty by offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor derails the Jaguars opening drive of overtime as they go three-and-out. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys take the field in overtime for the first time, tied at 34 with 8:48 left to play.
Trevor Lawrence played the most clutch football of his young career, leading the Jaguars into field goal range to force OT. Now, he's rewarded with the chance to win the game with a touchdown to start overtime.
Huge three-and-out forced by the Jaguars defense. Lawrence gets one more chance with one timeout and starting on his own 29. Cowboys lead by only a field goal, 34-31, with 1:13 left in the game.
Trevor Lawrence escaped pressure and sprinted down the field inside the Cowboys' 40, but Dallas safety Jayron Kearse came in from behind to knock the football loose. Of course, linebacker Micah Parsons jumped on top of the football, swinging the game in the Cowboys' favor.
Trevor Lawrence connects with Zay Jones for their third passing touchdown as a duo this afternoon, giving the Jaguars their first lead of the game, 31-27, with 10:03 left in the game. Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson suffered an injury on the play. Something to monitor going forward.
The Cowboys offense is now in a rut, needing to punt the possession after Prescott's interception. Jacksonville now has the opportunity to take their first lead of the game with 14 minutes left in the game. Cowboys lead 27-24.
The Jaguars make Prescott pay for the interception as Trevor Lawrence connects with Marvin Jones for a 10-yard touchdown. Four minutes ago, the Cowboys led 27-10. Now, it's a three-point game, 27-24, with 1:23 left in the third.
Mind-numbing interception from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Steps up in the shadow of his own end zone and hits Jaguars defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins in the chest for an interception. Prescott now has six interceptions in the last four games as well as 10 in nine games played this season.
Trevor Lawrence connects with Zay Jones once again for six, this time it's a 59-yard strike on a double-move. Perfect execution between the two. The Cowboys' lead is now trimmed to 10, 27-17, with 3:57 to go in the third quarter. The 59-yard touchdown pass marks the longest of Lawrence's young career.
The Cowboys are up 27-10 after Brett Maher's 53-yard field goal and now have their biggest lead of the afternoon, up 17. Jaguars come back onto the field with 5:21 left in the third quarter.
Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland steps in front of a Trevor Lawrence pass for an interception, Lawrence's first since Week 8 in London against the Denver Broncos. The Cowboys offense takes the field at the Jaguars 42 following their defense's second takeaway. Dallas leads 24-10 with 6:27 to go in the third quarter.
The Cowboys settle for a 24-yard field goal, knocking it through from the Jaguars six. Dallas stretches the lead back out to 14 points, 24-10, with 7:36 in the third quarter. Dallas was rolling, reaching the Jaguars four on second down. However, Ezekiel Elliott losing a couple yards and then an incompletion toward wide receiver Michael Gallup caused the drive to stall out.
Jacksonville opens the second-half with a 33-yard field goal after Trevor Lawrence missed Jamal Agnew for what may have been a touchdown. 21-10 Cowboys on top with 10:35 to go in the third quarter. They have their first second-half possession next.
Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is ruled out with a neck injury. The 26-year-old former first rounder missed seven games in 2019 with a neck issue.
Huge way for Lawrence to get his WR1, Christian Kirk, involved as he hits him for the first time today for a 30-yard gain.
Halftime, Cowboys lead 21-7. The Jaguars will get the ball to start the third quarter. Stay tuned to the live blog for the first half recap!
The Cowboys pick up only one first down before needing to punt the ball away. Jaguars ball with one timeout left to try and get points before the half.
The Cowboys force a punt and have an opportunity to get more points on the board before halftime. They will start at their own 23 with 1:31 to play in the half and all three timeouts.
The Cowboys' play-call out of the two-minute warning was phenomenal, going with a play-action pass on the goal line for the easy touchdown connection from Dak Prescott to wide receiver Noah Brown. 21-7 Cowboys with 1:55 left in the half.
Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones now has receiving touchdowns in consecutive games after only having through the first 13 weeks of the season. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence hits him in stride to cut the Cowboys' lead in half, 14-7. We've got a game with 7:45 left before halftime.
Dak Prescott connects with rookie tight end Peyton Hendershot in the right corner of the end zone to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive. 14-0 Cowboys with 13 minutes left in the half. Dallas couldn't have asked for a better start in Jacksonville following their nail biter against the Houston Texans last week.
Thanks to Parsons' sack, the Jaguars couldn't dig out of the 17-yard hole and are forced to punt. The Cowboys take over on their own 14 up 7-0 with 2:51 left in the first quarter.
Micah Parsons' first down sack of Trevor Lawrence marks his first quarterback takedown since Thanksgiving against the Cowboys. Likely another one coming since in all six prior games that he's had a sack in this season have been multi-sack outings.
The Cowboys went all running back that drive with Prescott throwing to Tony Pollard for nine yards before running with either Pollard or Elliott on the five final plays. The drive culminated with an Ezekiel Elliott 10-yard rushing score, 7-0 Cowboys with 4:31 left in the first quarter. That's Elliott's seventh consecutive game with a rushing touchdown, making him and all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith the only Cowboys with a rushing touchdown in seven straight games.
Travis Etienne's struggles continue. He hasn't been a factor the last few weeks, and now his fumble costs the Jaguars possession. The Cowboys take over at the Jaguars' 41. Recovery by Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson.
The Cowboys cross midfield, but they can't get much further after Dak Prescott couldn't find Noah Brown on 3rd and 7. Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense takin the field for the first time today on their own nine.
Lawrence won't have an easy time on Sunday since the Cowboys defense leads the NFL in sack rate and pressure rate this season. Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons' 12.0 sacks and 59 quarterback pressures are both tied for the third-most in the NFL.
Cowboys Pass Rush This Season
NFL Rank
Sack rate 10.5% 1st
Pressure rate 42.2% 1st
Trevor Lawrence is the second-youngest player in NFL history (23 years old) with 10 passing touchdowns and no interceptions in a five-game span behind Lamar Jackson, who did so at 22, in 2019 when he was the NFL MVP. Nine of Lawrence's 10 passing touchdowns in the last 5 games were outside numbers.
Trevor Lawrence Career Passing Outside Numbers
1st 25 Games Last 5 Games
Comp pct 62% 76%
Passer rtg 79.6 129.4
TD-Int 17-14 9-0
Lawrence has a 158.1 passer rating outside numbers on 10-20 yards downfield in the last five games. For reference, a perfect passer rating is 158.3.
Trevor Lawrence Career Passing Outside Numbers
10-20 Yards Downfield
1st 25 Games Last 5 Games
Comp pct 51% 78%
TD-Int 3-4 4-0
Passer rtg 74.1 158.1
