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5 takeaways from the Packers' last-second win over the Jaguars


5 takeaways from the Packers' last-second win over the Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE – The Packers made a field goal for the second straight game on Sunday, this time in a 30-27 victory over the Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.

Here are five takeaways from the dramatic victory that gave the Packers a 6-2 victory.

  1. Malik Willis has done it again.

Only on this occasion, the Packers' backup QB didn't have a full week to prepare. He replaced Jordan Love early in the third quarter due to a groin injury that Love had been trying to battle through since the game's first possession.

After capitalizing on a Jaguars turnover with just 5 yards to go early in the fourth quarter to take a 27-17 lead, it looked like the Packers were in good shape. Except that Jacksonville scored 10 points in a row (even though its top two receivers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk, were sidelined with injuries) and tied the game on QB Trevor Lawrence's 14-yard TD pass to tight end Evan Engram The score was equalized with 1:48 remaining.

From there, it was up to Willis, and on the second play of the ensuing drive, he executed a play-action bootleg and found receiver Jayden Reed wide open down the sideline 51 yards. The Packers suddenly found themselves in a position to win.

“I can’t say enough great things about Malik Willis,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “The moment is never too big for him.”

The play was what the Packers call a “can,” or audible when the QB reaches the line of scrimmage and can transition to a secondary play call built into the first.

“We were looking for a certain look,” Willis said, explaining that the previous play call was the same, but the Jaguars weren’t in the coverage the Packers wanted. “We ran it again, got the look we were looking for and I did it straight away. It was perfect.”

From there, the Packers cut the clock to two seconds, and new kicker Brandon McManus scored the game-winning goal from 24 yards out.

“To be able to win two weeks in a row in a walk-off is kind of crazy,” LaFleur said. “I don’t want this to continue to happen. I would like to win outright because it cost us years of our lives. But I’m just really happy for our boys.”

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