JACKSONVILLE – The scrap, grit and want-to were there yet again.
This time, those weren’t enough.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdowns and the Jaguars inched close late, but what had been reliable wasn’t on Sunday – and in a game largely defined by Jaguars mistakes, the Seattle Seahawks held on for a 20-12 victory in front of 61,056 at EverBank Stadium on a sun-splashed October afternoon.
“We didn’t play our best ball today,” Lawrence said.
Head Coach Liam Coen called “deflating moments” the “theme of the day.”
“We will not beat quality teams like this if we continue to hurt ourselves,” Coen said. “We continue to hurt ourselves and have these self-inflicted wounds. That ultimately is on me.”
The Seahawks clinched the victory by kneeling out the final 1:57 on their final drive, with tight end AJ Barner’s 61-yard reception from quarterback Sam Darnold giving them possession deep in Jaguars territory.
The Jaguars had three possessions in the fourth quarter trailing by eight points – their three series before Seattle’s final drive – but produced just one first down on the three drives.
“It’s on all of us,” Lawrence said. “It’s all of us taking accountability and fixing the things we can control.”
After entering Sunday with an NFL-leading 14 takeaways, the Jaguars didn’t force one Sunday. The Jaguars, after allowing six sacks in the first five games, allowed seven for 44 yards to the Seahawks.
The Seahawks also were credited with 17 hits on Lawrence.
“Credit to them: They beat us up up front,” Coen said.
The Jaguars also were penalized 10 times for 76 yards, with Coen emphasizing that too many of the penalties came at critical times.
“We have to look in the mirror and fix the problems that have been there all year,” Lawrence said.
The Jaguars (4-2) lost after winning three consecutive games, with the Seahawks (4-2) winning for a third time in four games. The Jaguars are 3-1 at EverBank Stadium this season, with Sunday’s game extending the Seahawks’ road winning streak to nine games.
Darnold threw a 61-yard second-quarter touchdown to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and an 11-yard third-quarter touchdown to wide receiver Cooper Kupp to give the Seahawks a 20-6 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Lawrence gave the Jaguars an early lead with a first-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., then pulled them to within eight points with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Tim Patrick early in the fourth quarter.
“Guys fought,” cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “We fought back. It just wasn’t good enough.”
Lawrence completed 27 of 42 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, with running back Travis Etienne Jr. rushing for 27 yards on 12 carries. Brian Thomas Jr. caught eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.
“Some of the stuff we were doing was working,” Thomas said. “We’ve just got to quit beating ourselves.”
Darnold completed 16 of 27 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, with running back Kenneth Walker III rushing for 34 yards 10 carries. Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 162 yards and one touchdown.
Jaguars kicker Cam Little missed an extra point and a 50-yard field goal in the first half, with the Seahawks leading 10-6 at halftime.
The Jaguars not only did not have a takeaway for the first time this season on Sunday, they registered just one sack – by defensive tackle Arik Armstead when the Jaguars blitzed Darnold. The Seahawks managed just 13 first downs, but 122 of their 346 yards came on two long pass plays – to Smith-Nigba and Barner.
“They hit enough explosives and we didn’t,” Coen said. “That’s the reality. We didn’t get after their quarterback. They got after ours. They hit a couple of big plays in the pass game and we did not. We have to get after their quarterback more as they got after ours.”
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