Created on January 15, 2023 | 09:51
Reading time: 2 mins
Crazy game for Trevor Lawrence: 4 interceptions and 4 touchdowns
Photo:
APA/Reuters/dpa
Dhe San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars reached the divisional round at the start of the playoffs in the National Football League (NFL) on Saturday (local time). The Jaguars celebrated a dramatic 31:30 home win against the Los Angeles Chargers despite being 0:27 behind and thus one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. The 49ers, on the other hand, lived up to their role as favorites against the Seattle Seahawks and won 41:23.
Jacksonville’s young quarterback Trevor Lawrence got off to a bad start in his first playoff game ever. The 23-year-old threw four interceptions in the first half, the Chargers promptly converted the misses into points and worked out a seemingly comfortable lead. At the break, the guests from Los Angeles were still leading 27:7.
But the Florida team turned the tide with the third-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history. Lawrence made up for his mistakes with four touchdown passes. A field goal by Riley Patterson when the clock was running out made the sensation perfect. “You couldn’t write a crazier script. In the dressing room we said, ‘It’s a bit like our season is going, we’re never quite out of the fight. We just kept believing in each other,'” Lawrence told NBC. “I didn’t want to be the reason these guys lose here today.”
The game in Santa Clara was less dramatic. The Seahawks held up well with the 49ers for almost three quarters before the visitors from Seattle broke in. San Francisco quarterback surprise Brock Purdy, 23, shot clean in the first playoff game of his career, throwing three touchdown passes and running into an opponent’s end zone instead. The strong 49ers defense also took the ball from Seattle twice. “When our offense and defense do their thing, we’re hard to beat,” rookie Purdy told ESPN. The opponents in the second play-off round will not be determined until Sunday or Monday.
