The Jacksonville Jaguars really, really needed that one.
A five-game losing streak looked like it was giving way to full blown meltdown mode when the Jaguars fell behind 17-0 against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9. Then the Jaguars flipped the script and pulled off the second largest comeback in franchise history to win, 27-20.
Jacksonville finished with 403 yards of total offense and shut out the Raiders in the second half.
There were plenty of good performances from Jaguars players as the team improved to 3-6 on the year. Here are four studs and one dud from the Week 9 win:
Stud - QB Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence wasn’t bad in the first half, but he was downright great in the second.
The second-year quarterback completed all but one of his 16 passes after halftime and finished the game with 235 passing yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a 109.0 passer rating.
Lawrence kept the ball out of danger and was cool at the times he was under pressure.
What a throw by Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/SBmN1OPbgL
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) November 6, 2022
The Jaguars offense is still limited by the inability to hit deep balls that stretch the defense, but when Lawrence is that sharp, it’s a tough unit to get off the field.
Stud - RB Travis Etienne
Another game, another great showing from Etienne.
While the home run was never there for him against a Raiders defense that’s relatively stout against the run, Etienne did well to hit singles and doubles all game instead.
Etienne took on the role of bell cow back and had to grind his way to a fifth straight game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage. He also notched the first two-touchdown game of his young career.
The Jaguars have a star on their hands in Etienne, who’s now top five in the NFL in rushing yards.
Stud - DE Dawuane Smoot
Smoot has been playing the best football his career the last couple weeks.
Despite never recording more than six sacks in any of his first five NFL seasons, Smoot now has 3.5 sacks in the last two weeks.
Smoot’s first sack brought a halt to the Raiders’ first drive of the game, and his second all but ended their last drive.
The only downside to his performance in Week 9 is that we found out he’s probably not the best option to cover opposing No. 1 receivers in coverage.
Stud - S Dewey Wingard
Rayshawn Jenkins went down with an injury just a few plays after the Jaguars got their first lead of the game.
With under 11 minutes left and the Jaguars in need of a few more defensive stops, Wingard had to step in on defense.
While his three total tackles Sunday don’t exactly scream stud, the Jaguars defense didn’t miss a beat with the fourth-year defensive back stepping into the lineup. Not only did Wingard not screw things up, he immediately made impact plays as a blitzer, then in coverage he broke up what could’ve been a huge Davante Adams reception in the final minute.
Wingard stepped up in a big way when the Jaguars needed it most.
Dud - OLB Josh Allen
At some point the Jaguars need their three-time team captain and former Pro Bowl pass rusher to look the part.
Dawuane Smoot recorded two sacks, Travon Walker tallied three pressures, and even Dewey Wingard forced a couple errant throws as a rusher. Meanwhile, Allen’s impact was hardly felt Sunday.
Last week, Allen told ESPN’s Michael DiRocco that he has “not been playing to the standard” he knows he’s capable of. He didn’t shake that Sunday when he recorded his fifth straight game without a sack.
