The Jacksonville Jaguars argued to make sure one second was left on the clock at the end of the first half in London on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That final second could be used for their fourth-down play, and trailing the Eagles 14-7 while on the doorstep of the end zone, it seemed the Jags would kick a field goal with reliable kicker Cam Little.
That’s not what Jacksonville did, though.
They left the offense on the field and went with a gadget play.
Usual RB Bhayshul Tuten lined up wide to the right, and he ran a jet sweep motion.
QB Trevor Lawrence took the snap and handed it to Tuten running parallel to the line of scrimmage.
Tuten, though, didn’t have the space the Jaguars would’ve hoped for. The Eagles broke through and brought him down.
Instead of a 14-14 or 14-10 halftime score, the Jags trailed 14-7 still.
Why Did Jaguars Go For 4th Down?
There are likely two reasons for the Jaguars’ decision here.
One is simply about the offense. Head coach Liam Coen trusted his group to execute and score the football from close range.
A touchdown is worth more than a field goal, clearly, so if the Jaguars felt they had a better than 50-50 chance of scoring here, it was probably fair to try.
The other reality is that they’re without their usual long snapper due to injury. They’ve instead got defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton handling long-snapping duties.
Hamilton’s punt snaps have been good, but his first extra-point snap was rather high. The Jaguars may not be confident in him snapping the ball to the holder for a field goal attempt.
When you combine those things, it’s at least reasonable to understand what the Jaguars were thinking.
One Flaw
Maybe the biggest issue with what the Jaguars tried was the playcall itself.
There’s often a risk down near the goal line, and on two-point conversions, of running a play with only one option.
The jet sweep to Tuten either works or it doesn’t. If the defense happens to be in the right spot, it fails.
There’s a case to be made that letting Lawrence take the snap in the shotgun for a pass, move around, look for receivers and even potentially run allows for more potential for the play to get into the end zone.
That doesn’t stop offensive gurus from calling their fun plays down in close.
When they work, it’s brilliant. When they don’t, it feels like this did for the Jaguars, sending them to the locker room with a downturn in momentum.
Why Jaguars Made Bold 4th-Down Decision To End 1st Half