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Five key plays: Commanders 28, Jaguars 22

Five key plays: Commanders 28, Jaguars 22


LANDOVER, Md. โ€“ Senior writer John Oehser examines key plays from the Jaguars’ 28-22 loss to the Washington Commanders in a 2022 Week 1 game at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., Sunday

1. Oh no. The Commanders took a 14-3 lead on the first drive of the second quarter, with quarterback Carson Wentz throwing his second touchdown of the game โ€“ a seven-yarder in the back of the end zone to rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson. The drive’s key play came on 3rd-and-10 from the Jaguars 22 two plays before the touchdown. Wentz threw incomplete, but Jaguars veteran defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot was called for roughing the passer to give Washington first down at the Jaguars 11. This came one play after Smoot made a nice inside rush to force Wentz to throw incomplete. “Little things become big things,” Head Coach Doug Pederson said. “That part you take away and you learn from.”

2. Oh no II. The Jaguars came this close to cutting into the 11-point lead with just under five minutes remaining in the first half but running back Travis Etienne Jr. couldn’t hold a high pass from quarterback Trevor Lawrence that might have been a touchdown. The Jaguars, trailing 14-3, used eight plays to drive 68 yards to the Commanders 3. On 4th-and-goal from there, Lawrence passed into the right flat. The pass was a bit high, and Etienne got two hands on the ball but the pass fell incomplete to give the Commanders possession. Etienne had a 23-yard reception and a 12-yard run on the series, which ended with 4:59 remaining in the half and the Jaguars trailing by eleven points. “We shot ourselves in the foot a lot,” Lawrence said. “There are a lot of things that we control that we didn’t do a great job of controlling. We have to play smarter, all around โ€“ every position.”

3. Oh no III. Turnovers matter in the NFL โ€“ and the first takeaway of the season should have mattered for the Jaguars Sunday. Inside linebacker Foye Oluokun recovered a fumble by Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel at the…

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