The Jacksonville Jaguars inched closer to a spot in the playoffs with a 19-3 win over the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.
While the Jaguars offense slowly grinded away at the Jets for much of the game, even finishing off a 96-yard touchdown drive early, the story was the ineptitude of the New York offense.
Zach Wilson, the player drafted one pick after Trevor Lawrence in 2021, was eventually benched after throwing for only 92 yards through nearly three quarters.
Here’s how the Jaguars’ smooth Week 16 victory at MetLife Stadium went down:
Jaguars MVP of the game: Evan Engram
Engram has emerged as a dominant force in the Jacksonville offense. After finishing with 162 yards and two touchdowns a couple weeks ago, Engram recorded another triple-digit game on Thursday.
With seven catches for 113 yards, Engram broke the franchise record for single-season receptions by a tight end and he’s now at a career-high in yardage with 723.
Jets MVP of the game: Chris Streveler
The offense couldn’t do a single thing with Zach Wilson at quarterback. The only points scored by the Jets in the first three quarters came on a field goal after a Jaguars fumble set up New York in the red zone.
It wasn’t until Wilson was benched in the final minutes of the third quarter that the Jets finally looked capable of moving the ball. It ultimately didn’t lead to a comeback, but Streveler still finished as the Jets’ leading rusher and provided the team its only spark.
Jaguars play of the game: Trevor Lawrence’s 1-yard touchdown run
Trevor Lawrence ends an impressive 16 play, 96 yard drive with a TD 👏#JAXvsNYJ on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/gyMqx7NKs2 pic.twitter.com/2OahxhhqKU— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2022
It wasn’t exactly a pretty play, but Lawrence’s quick dive over the goal line capped a 16-play, 96-yard touchdown drive that set the tone for the game. The Jaguars could move the Jets defensive line all game and the New York offense couldn’t come close to keeping up.
It was over when the Jets’ first drive with Streveler ended after 16 plays with a turnover on downs. That ended the little hope that New York had left at a late-game rally.
Stat that says it all: Eight straight Jets drives ended without points.
The Jaguars offense was efficient, racking up 363 total yards on a cold and rainy night at MetLife Stadium. But Jacksonville left the door open by not turning that into many points. The Jets couldn’t take advantage, though.
Up next: The 7-8 Jaguars will travel to face the one-win Houston Texans. The two teams met in Week 5 and the Texans earned a surprising 13-6 win.
While the Jaguars will have a chance to get that loss back, there’s also a scenario where it could make sense for the team to rest its starters before Week 18.
