Jaguars Beat Eagles on Last-Second Kick

Cam Little of the Jacksonville Jaguars kicked a 57-yard field goal on the last play of the game to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19⁠–⁠17 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, 11 October (AP via ESPN; Jaguars). The National Football League Week 5 game kicked off at 2:30 p.m. in London, 9:30 a.m. ET (ESPN), in front of 61,322 fans (ESPN; Jaguars). A field goal is worth three points and is kicked between the posts.

The win was Jacksonville's third in a row. The Jaguars are 4⁠–⁠1 and lead the AFC South division (Jaguars; ESPN). The Eagles fell to 2⁠–⁠3, their third straight defeat and the first time they have been 2⁠–⁠3 since 2021, according to AP (AP via ESPN).

The last eight seconds decided it. Trevor Lawrence threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington on fourth down with 3:20 left, putting Jacksonville ahead 16⁠–⁠14, its first lead of the second half (Jaguars). Little then missed the extra point, the one-point kick taken after a touchdown, wide left (AP via ESPN). That left room for Jake Elliott, who kicked a 48-yard field goal with eight seconds to play to put Philadelphia ahead 17⁠–⁠16 (AP via ESPN; Jaguars).

On the kickoff that followed, Ameer Abdullah ran the ball back 53 yards to the Philadelphia 39-yard line, and one second was left on the clock (AP via ESPN; Jaguars). Abdullah, in his 12th season, said he "literally counted" the time in his head during the return (Jaguars). Little's kick from 57 yards went through.

"It was the coolest moment of my career," Little said (AP via ESPN). AP reported that he grew up watching Premier League soccer and wore a Manchester United shirt to his news conference.

Jacksonville kicked with a replacement snapper, the player who passes the ball back for the holder on kicks. Ross Matiscik, the regular long snapper, left in the first quarter with an apparent shoulder injury, AP reported, and did not return (AP via ESPN; Jaguars). DaVon Hamilton, a defensive tackle, took over, including on the winning kick (Jaguars).

Asked why the final kickoff had not been sent out of bounds, which would have given Jacksonville the ball further back, Nick Sirianni, the Eagles coach, said: "I didn't make the right decision, and I lost us that game" (AP via ESPN). He added: "I put that fully on me" (AP via ESPN).

Lawrence completed 24 of 39 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns, both to Washington, with one interception (ESPN; Jaguars). Washington, who also scored on a 51-yard catch in the first quarter, had six catches for 124 yards (AP via ESPN). "Maybe the craziest game I've ever been a part of," Lawrence said (AP via ESPN).

Jalen Hurts completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown for Philadelphia (ESPN; Jaguars). The Eagles played without Saquon Barkley, their leading rusher, and the receiver DeVonta Smith, and gained only 22 yards running the ball (AP via ESPN). Will Shipley scored on a two-yard run and Darius Cooper on a 62-yard catch from Hurts as Philadelphia led 14⁠–⁠7 at half-time (AP via ESPN; Jaguars).

Jacksonville twice got inside the Philadelphia five-yard line without scoring. On the last play of the first half, Eagles linebacker Zack Baun tackled Bhayshul Tuten for a loss on fourth down from the one; in the fourth quarter Lawrence threw incomplete on fourth down from the five (AP via ESPN; Jaguars).

The game was bad-tempered from the start. Josh Cameron's 90-yard return of the opening kickoff was called back because of penalties against both teams (AP via ESPN). Jacksonville's Bryan Thomas Jr. and Philadelphia's Jeremiah Trotter Jr. were ejected for fighting on that play (AP via ESPN; Jaguars). Jacksonville also lost left tackle Anton Harrison to a knee injury in the third quarter (Jaguars).

"It ain't pretty, but it's gritty," said Liam Coen, the Jaguars coach (Jaguars).

The Jaguars stay in London and host the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium next Sunday. The Eagles host the Carolina Panthers (AP via ESPN).