LANDOVER, Md. – The start was rocky. The rest was gutsy and wild.
And really, really dramatic.
It all meant an entertaining – and disappointing – start to a new era. In Doug Pederson‘s first game as head coach, the Jaguars rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit for an eight-point fourth-quarter lead in what became a 28-22 loss to the Washington Commanders in the 2022 regular-season opener at FedEx Field on Sunday afternoon.
“If you look at this game today, we beat ourselves,” Pederson said, adding: “It’s just finish. It’s just finish, finish, finish of the game: Finish a play, finish a series, finish a drive. They’re all teachable moments, and that’s what we’re going to do as a staff: We’re going to teach these guys.”
Quarterback Carson Wentz passed 24 yards to rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson to give the Commanders a 26-22 lead with 1:46 remaining. Wentz passed to J.D. McKissic on the ensuing two-point conversion.
That was the second of two touchdown passes for Wentz after the Jaguars took an eight-point fourth-quarter lead.
“We’ve got to finish,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “We got ourselves to the point where we could win the game, but you’ve got to go win. They’re not going to hand it to you.”
Commanders safety Darrick Forest intercepted Lawrence with 1:10 remaining to cap a game that turned dramatic early in the fourth quarter.
“We made some costly mistakes at the wrong time,” Pederson said. “Games come down to three-to-five plays every week. We have to finish better and take care of those little things.
“There are a lot of positives and things we can take away and learn from.”
The fourth quarter was wild from the start.
First, Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell intercepted Wentz – a play that led to a Jaguars field goal and a 15-14 lead. Jaguars outside linebacker Travon Walker intercepted Wentz on the ensuing series, with running back James Robinson’s 11-yard touchdown run on the ensuing play pushing the lead to 22-14.
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