Jaguars rebound from historic loss with a dominant 35-6 win against Chargers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence received an unusual photo request in the locker room after one of the most enjoyable victories of his Jacksonville Jaguars tenure.

Punter Logan Cooke and long snapper Ross Matiscik wanted a pic with Lawrence to commemorate their first game without a punt.

“That’s cool when you give your punter a day off,” Lawrence said.

The Jaguars bounced back from the worst collapse in franchise history by thumping the Los Angeles Chargers 35-6 on Sunday behind rushing touchdowns from Travis Etienne, Lawrence and rookie Bhaysul Tuten.

Coming off a 36-29 debacle at Houston during which they blew a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars (6-4) showed no lingering effects from the crushing setback against a division rival.

They played angry — and it worked.

“We were (ticked) off at the finish last week,” coach Liam Coen said. “We play better (ticked) off. We’ve talked about edge for a long time now. When we have an edge and we play as a team, and it’s about the team all the time, good things happen typically for us. I am proud of the response, for sure.”

It might have helped that they faced the Chargers (7-4), who traveled across the country for an early start while potentially looking ahead to their bye.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s team was a complete no-show, finishing with 135 yards and just eight first downs.

“We just weren’t doing anything well,” Harbaugh said. “Offensively, we weren’t running the ball well, we weren’t protecting, we weren’t getting open. Defensively, the same. We weren’t stopping the run. We’re losing coverage. I mean, go through every phase. We got beat every which way you care to get beat.”

Lawrence’s 1-yard TD pass to Tim Patrick in the fourth gave Jacksonville more cushion than it had against the Texans, and Etienne’s second TD run of the game –- this one coming after Antonio Johnson returned an interception 43 yards –- sent visiting fans scampering for the exits.

Harbaugh pulled Justin Herbert with the game out of reach, turning to backup Trey Lance for the final 11 minutes.

The Chargers had little room to run and no time to pass, the result of a makeshift offensive line that included recently acquired left tackle Trevor Penning making his debut. Harbaugh also benched right guard Mekhi Becton to start the second half.

Herbert was sacked twice and hurried way more often. He completed 10 of 18 passes for 81 yards and lost his third consecutive start against the Jaguars.

“When you lose a game like that, you want to go back out there and you want to get that taste out of your mouth,” Herbert said. “It’s tough because now we have to wait two weeks to get back and play. … The rest could be good for us, but it wasn’t good enough for us at all.”

Hines-Allen’s franchise sacks record

Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen broke the franchise sacks record that stood for more than 20 years. Hines-Allen notched No. 56 of his seven-year career when he took down Herbert in the second quarter.

Hines-Allen opened the season trailing Tony Brackens (55) by two. Brackens played for Jacksonville between 1996 and 2003. Hines-Allen struggled to reach the mark and even acknowledged feeling pressure to get it done.

“It was never a chase thing,” Hines-Allen said. “It was just, for me, playing football and doing what I needed to do.”

It took him until the team’s 10th game to get his third sack of the season. He received an ovation from the home crowd and plenty of acknowledgements from his teammates and coaches.

Injuries

Chargers: RB Kimani Vidal injured his left thigh in the second quarter, but later returned.

Jaguars: CB Greg Newsome injured his right ankle in the first quarter and was ruled out at halftime. … DE Travon Walker injured his right knee early in the third quarter and was listed as questionable to return. … Tuten tweaked his right ankle in the fourth.

Up next

Chargers: Get a much-needed bye week before hosting the Raiders on Nov. 30.

Jaguars: Play at Arizona next Sunday.

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