If you didn’t set your alarm this morning, you may have missed the most exciting end to the NFL season yet. The Philadelphia Eagles lost 19-17 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London after a fourth quarter full of twists worthy of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. The first three quarters were already filled with theatrics: three fourth-down stops, multiple fumbles and an interception. Philadelphia eventually took a 14-10 lead in the final 15 minutes. On the third drive of the fourth quarter, Jacksonville seemed ready to take the lead, advancing to the 1-yard line. Then chaos ensued. The Jaguars committed three penalties instead of hitting the ball from 3 feet away and ended up facing a fourth-and-goal from the 5. They couldn’t convert: the second time in the game the Jaguars turned the ball over in a goal-to-go situation. Jacksonville’s defense quickly forced a three-and-out. On the Jags’ next possession, the offense faced off once again on fourth down, and this time Trevor Lawrence connected with Parker Washington for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Washington made the play of the game with a deft one-handed grab to give Jacksonville the lead. But the Jaguars, who played without their starting long snapper due to injury, lost the extra point after a high snap ruined the kick. The Eagles went back on their next possession and punted, giving Jacksonville the ball at the two-minute warning. However, the Jaguars went three by three and, thanks to an incomplete pass, Philadelphia still had a timeout remaining. Jalen Hurts then led a nine-play, 32-yard drive that ended with a 48-yard field goal by Jake Elliott. Philadelphia led 17-16 with just eight seconds left. Avid NFL fans will remember a similar situation from Week 4, when the Dallas Cowboys tied the Baltimore Ravens at 31 with seven seconds remaining. Dallas kicked the opening kick out of the end zone, allowing the Ravens to run a play and get into field goal range for the winning kick. The Eagles, probably aware of that exact scenario and knowing that Jacksonville had no timeouts, decided to keep the ball in play. But Ameer Abdullah returned the kickoff 53 yards to the Philadelphia 39-yard line and was tackled with one second left on the clock. That set up a 57-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game, and kicker Cam Little, after another high snap, scored the game-winner. It was an absolutely shocking loss for Philadelphia, which had a 99.9% chance of winning after the go-ahead field goal, according to ESPN Analytics. The Eagles, already dealing with injuries and the sudden retirement of star tackle Lane Johnson, have now lost consecutive games in which they led for the final two minutes. Philadelphia fell to 2-3 with the loss. Jacksonville, meanwhile, improved to 4-1.
