JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence became the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw four interceptions in the first half of a playoff game. Detroit’s Gary Danielson and Denver’s Craig Morton are the others.
Lawrence’s nightmarish start Saturday night left the Jaguars in a 27-0 hole against the Los Angeles Chargers before he connected with Evan Engram for a touchdown just before halftime.
Lawrence completed 10 of 24 passes for 77 yards in the opening 30 minutes, with a passer rating of 24.5. It had been 0.0 before the touchdown.
Jacksonville turned the ball over a fifth time when a punt hit Chris Claybrook’s helmet, and the Chargers recovered.
The Chargers became the third team with a plus-five turnover margin in a single half in a playoff game since play-by-play data started being tracked in 1991. The others were the Dallas Cowboys in their Super Bowl triumph over Buffalo on Jan. 31, 1993, and the St. Louis Rams in a playoff win over Green Bay on Jan. 20, 2002.
Lawrence’s dreadful night started on the second play of the game, when Sebastian Joseph-Day tipped his short pass intended for Christian Kirk. Joey Bosa got a hand on it, too, before it landed in Drue Tranquill’s arms for an interception. Austin Ekeler scored two plays later.
Lawrence was just getting started. His next drive ended with another interception, this one coming on a fourth-and-7 play near field-goal range. It was the first of three picks by Asante Samuel, who became the first player with three interceptions in a playoff game since New England’s Ty Law in an AFC championship game win over Indianapolis on Jan. 18, 2004.