The Jacksonville Jaguars were trailing the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24 when a pass interference call against Chiefs safety Bryan Cook put Trevor Lawrence’s squad on the 1-yard line with 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
However, disaster nearly struck on Jacksonville’s first-and-goal opportunity. Lawrence stumbled to the ground after right guard Patrick Mekari stepped on him while the quarterback was coming out from under center to begin his dropback.
As a result, Lawrence found himself on the ground at the 7-yard line with one thing going through his head.
‘Panic,’ Lawrence said of the play to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge after the game. ‘Sheer panic on the ground.’
Despite this, Lawrence remained composed. He got himself back to his feet, knowing a sack would have been disastrous, as the Jaguars had no timeouts remaining.
‘I was like, ‘I gotta get up,” Lawrence described of the play. ‘And I was just gonna throw it out of bounds to stop the clock, but there was nobody really around me. So, I went and made a play.’
Indeed, Lawrence did. Upon getting off the ground, he immediately saw a running lane open to the left. The Jaguars’ starter burst through it just quickly enough to avoid being tackled for a loss by the oncoming Jerry Tillery before powering and diving across the goal line for what would be the game-winning score.
Below is a look at Lawrence’s big-time play:
Lawrence’s scramble and Cam Little’s extra point put the Jaguars ahead 31-28 with 23 seconds remaining in regulation. Jacksonville’s defense managed to stop Patrick Mahomes, giving the Jaguars their first win over the Chiefs since 2009 and dropping the reigning AFC champions to 2-3 in the early stages of the 2025 NFL season.
Lawrence played a massive role in the victory. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown and one interception while also adding a team-high 54 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
All told, the defining moment wasn’t a bad present for Lawrence, who celebrated his 26th birthday Monday.