Livescore
Football is a game of inches, as Joey Bosa learned the hard way Saturday night.
The Jaguars finished off a miraculous 31-30 comeback victory over the Chargers to advance to the AFC divisional round, and they had help from Bosa in the late stages of the game.
The LA pass rusher had a night to forget. An offside penalty led to a Jaguars touchdown, and he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third quarter. But it was a helmet throw — two, actually — that changed the game.
Bosa felt Jaguars offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor should have been called for a false start on a Jacksonville touchdown in the fourth quarter, and he threw his helmet in disgust twice. The helmet throw resulted in another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and gave Jacksonville the opportunity to take the penalty yardage on the extra-point try.
Joey Bosa’s reaction to Brandon Staley handing him his helmet back is the funniest thing you’ll see this @NFL playoffs…pic.twitter.com/XUwjIrVIjM
— Tito (@JavierPDJavier) January 15, 2023
MORE: Will the Chargers fire Brandon Staley?
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson elected to move the ball from the 2-yard line to the 1-yard line and attempt a 2-point conversion. That made all the difference in strategy for the remainder of the game. When asked if the Jaguars would have gone for two if Bosa hadn’t been flagged, Pederson was concise.
“Probably not,” he said.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence used his length to stretched the ball past the goal line, bringing the score to 30-28 and putting the Jaguars in position to win with a field goal.
It’s that easy when you’re @Trevorlawrencee
📺: #LACvsJAX on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LG9lf52l9m pic.twitter.com/hkSCD7PsmU— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2023
On the ensuing drive, the Jaguars shut down Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense, and then they would go on to kick a game-winning field goal with no time remaining. Bosa was sent into an offseason of wondering what if.
MORE: Revisiting the Chargers’ history of playoff misfortune
That field goal capped a Jaguars win after Jacksonville was down 27-0 late in the first half. They overcame five turnovers, including four Lawrence interceptions, to defend home turf and advance.
In all, Bosa accounted for 21 yards of penalties Saturday, but just one of those yards ultimately cost the Chargers.
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