Jaguars didn’t just shoot themselves in the foot at the end of the half.
There was a potential turning point in the game at the end of the first half when the Jaguars hit a 36-yard pass to Zay Jones that put Jacksonville at the 5-yard line.
The Jaguars could have spiked the ball, stopped the clock, and kicked a field goal to trim the Ravens’ lead to seven points (10-3) at halftime. Instead, they went for a touchdown on a quick throw in the flats.
That’s a play that teams often use in that kind of hurried situation because if the defender is even slightly a step behind on a surprise play, it can be an easy score. However, it’s a situation the Ravens defense has practiced for, and they executed perfectly.
Mike Macdonald had the right play call, inside linebacker Roquan Smith communicated it to everyone on the run, and safety Marcus Williams took a step out wider to give him a head start on making the tackle (hopefully in-bounds). That’s exactly how it played out.
