Jags comeback stuns Chargers; 49ers ease through
Trevor Lawrence followed four interceptions with four touchdown passes – one of the most improbable turnarounds in NFL postseason history – and rallied the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 31-30 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night. Lawrence engineered the winning drive, highlighted by Travis Etienne's 25-yard run on a fourth-and-one play, and put the Jaguars in position for Riley Patterson's 36-yard field goal on the final play. It capped a 27-point comeback, the third largest in playoff history. Patterson's kick barely stayed inside the right upright and set off a raucous celebration for a franchise that had won just four games the previous two years. This one was mostly a credit to Lawrence. He completed 28 of 47 passes for 288 yards, a shocker considering he the way he started. Lawrence was downright dreadful to begin Jacksonville’s first playoff game since losing in the 2017 AFC title game. He became the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw four interceptions in the first half of a playoff game. Lawrence misfired early and often and started getting booed long before halftime. His confidence seemed shot. His swagger appeared gone. All the progress he made in his first season with coach Doug Pederson looked like it would be flushed in the team’s finale. But Lawrence never wavered. He connected with Evan Engram, Marvin Jones, Zay Jones and Christian Kirk for touchdowns that increasingly raised the team's belief in its quarterback and its comeback. Lawrence added one of the biggest plays when he jumped for a two-point conversion with 5.25 to play that made it 30-28 – and put the Jaguars in position to win instead of tie. In the NFC, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers into the divisional round with a stellar second-half performance in a 41-23 wildcard round win over the Seattle Seahawks. Purdy, who only took on the starting role last month after injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, became the first rookie quarterback with three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in a playoff game. Putting any early nerves aside, Purdy threw for 332 yards and no interceptions while running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 119 yards. "We are taking it one day at a time but we have got a goal of winning the whole thing, we are in tournament play so anything can happen," Purdy told Fox television. "I have got such a great team, offensive line, defense, receivers, across the board, it is not a one-man show," he added. (AP/AFP)