Aaron Rodgers expects to play when the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears on Sunday, having received positive news after undergoing a scan on his rib injury.

Rodgers exited last Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter after suffering from "intense pain" in his ribs, and he subsequently underwent an MRI on Monday.

The four-time NFL MVP was worried he had punctured a lung in the aftermath of the Packers' latest defeat, and head coach Matt LaFleur offered a vague response when asked about the quarterback's condition the day after their Week 12 clash.

However, Rodgers looks likely to be available against the Packers' NFC North rivals after using Tuesday's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show to offer a positive update on his fitness.

"I got good news with the scans yesterday, so I plan on playing this week," Rodgers said.

"There was an earlier shot in the game that kind of rattled the rib cage. I was trying to stretch some things out at half-time a little bit, and realised it probably wasn't some sort of muscle injury. 

"Then I got hit again in the third quarter and was just having a hard time breathing. 

"I pride myself on not coming out of games and I've played through a lot of different things over the years, some that got attention, some that haven't got attention. 

"But I was in some considerable pain and I feel like I just couldn't move out there really much at all. I wanted to go in and make sure it wasn't something really, really serious."

Rodgers has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing arm for the last six weeks, and his latest injury setback sparked fears he could be ruled out for the remainder of 2022.

With the Packers struggling to a 4-8 record this season, Rodgers has recorded a 64.8 per cent completion rate, while his nine interceptions represent his highest total across a single campaign since 2010 (11).

No journey to the Super Bowl is ever linear. Ever since the Miami Dolphins achieved football perfection in 1972, every team that has climbed the mountain has had to experience some kind of bump in the road, and any team that harbours ambitions of adding their name to the list must show an ability to win in different ways and prevail when one side of the ball misfires.

The 2022 San Francisco 49ers have hit several bumps in the road. From a Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears in a monsoon, to losing the anointed quarterback of the future, Trey Lance, to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 and suffering back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs, the latter of which saw them ship 44 points, there have been plenty of points this season where belief in the 49ers as the Super Bowl contenders has been tested.

But San Francisco's response to the blowout Week 7 loss to the Chiefs has been emphatic and has reaffirmed the 49ers' status as a heavyweight in the NFC.

The 49ers have reeled off four successive victories to surge to 7-4 and, if the season ended today, would win the NFC West and enter the playoffs as an extremely dangerous third seed.

Two of those four wins have been blowouts, San Francisco marrying devastating offense from a group overflowing with playmakers following the October trade for Christian McCaffrey with tremendous defensive fortitude to destroy a pair of NFC West rivals in the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals on the road.

Even with the level of star talent they have at their disposal, the 49ers' offense has not been consistent. A continuing theme of their recent dominance has been DeMeco Ryans' defense, which reached its 2022 zenith to this point on Sunday with a shutout 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints.

It was a performance that served as an encapsulation of why Ryans is likely to be the premier head coaching candidate this offseason and one that should serve to raise the question of whether his defense is one that could be among the select few that carries its team to Super Bowl glory.

The numbers point heavily to the 49er defense being of that standard.

San Francisco's shutout was the Niners' first since they beat Washington 9-0 in the 2019 season, and it was the first suffered by the Saints since Week 17 of the 2001 season. The 49ers were the team to dole out the shutout on that occasion in a 38-0 win.

While it was a 20-year low point for the Saints on offense, for the 49ers it was a continuation of an eye-opening run of defensive obduracy. The Niners have now pitched four consecutive shutouts in the second half, also keeping the Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Cardinals off the board in the final two quarters. Achieving the feat for four quarters against the Saints, they have now not conceded a point in over 94 minutes of game action.

The 49ers' refusal to let the Saints avoid drawing a blank was made more amazing by the fact New Orleans had six plays from inside San Francisco's five-yard line, and the season-long defensive numbers for the Niners paint the picture of the defiance shown by Ryans' group that could well come to define their season.

San Francisco's defense ranks first in points per game allowed, yards per game allowed, rush yards per game allowed, yards per rush allowed, first downs per game allowed and passing touchdowns allowed.

Simply put, this is a defense that can shut down anything an opposing offense does well, and it has multiple means by which it can do so.

The 49ers have the sixth-highest sack rate in the NFL at 7.9 per cent but have a blitz rate of 28.7 per cent that is below the league average of 30.8 per cent, those numbers speaking to San Francisco's long-established ability to get home by only sending four pass rushers from their exceptionally deep defensive line.

Nick Bosa, the star of that front, recorded the fourth-down sack that essentially ensured the Saints would not score in Week 12, taking his tally for the year to 11.5.

Bosa is the fifth player since 2000 to record at least one sack in nine of his first 10 games of a season, joining Hugh Douglas (2000), Everson Griffen (2017), Robert Mathis (2005) and Demarcus Ware (2008).

Yet the Niners have also made a habit of sending successful blitzes at the right time, with linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga – who each forced fumbles on Sunday – proving adept at generating pressure when rushing from the second level of the defense.

Hufanga's physicality jarred a fumble from Alvin Kamara at the one-yard line in the first of two fourth-quarter red zone stops against New Orleans, the former fifth-round pick emerging as a star in a secondary that has duplicity to frustrate teams with precise and disciplined zone coverage and facilitate blitzes by succeeding when it pivots to man coverage, with cornerback Charvarius Ward, the 49ers' headline free agency acquisition, excelling in both areas.

As with many defenses around the NFL, the 49ers rely heavily on two-high safety zone coverages; however, they have used Cover 1 man on 13.35 per cent of defensive snaps, well above the league average of 10.64 per cent. When using that coverage, they have given up 5.22 yards per play, over a yard fewer than the league average of 6.58.

In essence, the personnel Ryans has at his disposal allows him to easily switch between the staple of a four-man rush with zone coverage behind it and a more aggressive approach at any point and still have complete confidence his defense will deliver.

Though blitzes are not an overly common feature of the game plan, San Francisco's underpinning defensive philosophy is all about aggression, which is evident throughout when Ryans' players are on the field, their relentless pursuit of the football critical to the 49ers' incredible success against the run – opponents have gained only 3.1 yards per play on the ground versus San Francisco – and game-sealing turnovers such as Kamara's goal-line fumble.

That defensive violence ensured San Francisco did not follow the 49ers' offensive fireshow against the Cardinals in Mexico City with a letdown even as that attack sputtered in comparison to its efforts at Estadio Azteca.

Fast, physical, disciplined and diverse with the players at every level to consistently dominate, the 2022 49ers defense has all the ingredients of a championship unit and proved it can carry the load in ensuring San Francisco won in a very different way in Week 12 following the blowout of Week 11.

With Jimmy Garoppolo playing some of the best football of his career, after sticking around to back up Lance in a prescient move by both player and franchise, and blessed with a skill-position group that features McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, the hope will be the defense will not have to shoulder the burden on a regular basis. But this four-game stretch has proven unequivocally that it can do so, and that is an excellent insurance policy for the 49ers as they plot a path to a second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson will be sidelined for the next few weeks after suffering a lacerated kidney at the weekend.

The Philadelphia Eagles safety was carted off the field in the first quarter of Sunday's 40-33 win against the Green Bay Packers, appearing to be in considerable pain.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that Gardner-Johnson sustained a lacerated kidney in the game, which will not require surgery and is "not expected to be season-ending", but will keep him out "indefinitely".

The 24-year-old has played a big role in the Eagles' 10-1 campaign so far, leading the NFL in interceptions with six, while he has also made 55 tackles.

Gardner-Johnson was traded to Philadelphia from the New Orleans Saints in August along with a seventh-round draft pick for 2025 in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2024 and the latter of the Eagles' two sixth-round draft picks in the same year.

Undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship replaced him on Sunday, and could be the man to come in again when the Eagles host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Mike White's superb showings at quarterback do not appear to have changed Robert Saleh's ideas about bringing Zach Wilson back into the New York Jets fold.

The former continued his impressive season over the weekend, passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns during Sunday's 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears.

Wilson has struggled for form in recent weeks and passed for just 77 yards during a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots, leading to his demotion in favour of White.

But, despite those setbacks, there is still a path back into the side for the 2021 number two overall pick, with Saleh unwilling to commit to one player or the other.

"It's a week-to-week deal," he stated. "The full intent is to get Zach ready to play football again. I'll make that decision when I'm ready.

"While we're going through this process, it's Mike White's opportunity to take advantage of every last play he gets. I'm going to leave it at that. We're going to figure it out as we go."

Saleh refused to suggest what White might be able to do in order to secure the starting spot on a fill-time basis, continuing to publicly back Wilson.

"Mike's got an opportunity to stack another great day up this week," he added. "When we feel like Zach is ready to roll, he's going to roll."

Indianapolis Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday defended the decision not to use any of their three timeouts earlier in Monday's 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Saturday, who never coached at the pro or college level prior to his shock appointment by owner Jim Irsay earlier this month, led the Colts for the third time in the narrow defeat, slipping to a 1-2 record.

But Saturday only used the Colts' first timeout on fourth down with 30 seconds remaining before quarterback Matt Ryan threw an incomplete pass to the left sideline for Parris Campbell on fourth-and-3.

Ryan had scrambled for a run on the second-and-17 of the final drive but dived short of the first-down line, yet the Colts played quickly on third-and-3 with running back Jonathan Taylor bottled up before the timeout was called.

"I thought we had plenty of time," Saturday told reporters. "We had plenty of timeouts, so I wasn't too concerned.

"This wasn't a press for time, we just didn't make enough plays."

Ryan, who admitted he thought he was closer to the first-down line on his run, backed Saturday's decision not to call an earlier timeout.

"I don’t mind the call going with some tempo, trying to get that first and probably bang a timeout after that first," he said.

"We didn’t get it, then have to take that timeout on the fourth down call. Credit to them, they did a good job on jumping inside, we had some in-breaking routes.

"It's disappointing. It really is, I think the effort is good, but our execution just hasn’t been good enough."

Ryan was pressured on 44 per cent of dropbacks, which was the highest in a game this season.

The win means the Colts are 4-7-1 overall and second in the AFC South behind the 7-4 Tennessee Titans.

The Steelers improved to 4-7 but remain last in the AFC North. Rookie Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett enjoyed his third straight game without a turnover, completing 20 of 28 passes for 174 yards.

"He's getting better every week, he's a competitor, he's smart but there's still a lot of meat on the bone," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said about Pickett.

"I've always said he's good enough and we're good enough to win while that happens. We acknowledge he's very much in development."

The Indianapolis Colts' flickering playoffs hopes have all but been extinguished, as their third-quarter rally was not enough and the Pittsburgh Steelers staved them off for a 24-17 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday.

Benny Snell Jr's six-yard touchdown run followed by George Pickens' two-point conversion were the only scores in the final quarter, after the Colts charged back with two third-quarter TDs to claim a 17-16 lead at the final change.

Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 20 of 28 passes for 174 yards, along with 32 rushing yards from six carries, as the Steelers improved to 4-7. The Colts, who came into the game second in the AFC South, fall to 4-7-1.

The Colts had rallied from a 16-3 half-time deficit with touchdowns to Jonathan Taylor – sparked by Dallas Flowers' 89-yard kickoff return – and Michael Pittman Jr.

Matt Ryan passed for Pittman for his only touchdown of the game, completing 22 of 34 passes for 199 yards with one interception.

At 16-10, the Colts coughed up a costly fumble as Ryan and Taylor botched an exchange at first-and-goal from the one-yard line, which was recovered by defensive end Chris Wormley. Indianapolis gave up two turnovers for the game, with their season tally up to an NFL-high 21.

The Steelers offensive had 172 rush yards, with four players totalling at least 30 for the first time in the same game since 1999, with Snell (62 yards on 12 carries), Najee Harris (35 on 10), Anthony McFarland Jr (30 on six) and Pickett.

Harris crossed for the only first-half TD on a six-yard second-quarter run, with Matthew Wright converting three-of-three field goals.

Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald has joined the Los Angeles Rams' long injured list with head coach Sean McVay fearing a high ankle sprain.

McVay revealed on Monday that the 31-year-old defensive tackle had an ankle sprain, although he was still undergoing examination on the severity. He said Rams' medical staff indicated they feared it was a high ankle sprain.

Donald joins quarterback Matthew Stafford (concussion protocol) and wide receiver Cooper Kupp (high ankle sprain) on the sidelines.

"We're finding that out right now," McVay told reporters about Donald's injury. "He's still meeting with the doctors and getting the necessary scans.

"On Wednesday when we re-convene I'll have a little bit more information for you."

Donald has five sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 11 quarterback hits and a forced fumble in 11 games this season.

"Obviously we'll take the appropriate steps for Aaron in terms of how we move forward and what that means as far as his availability for this week and the weeks to come," McVay said.

McVay added there was no update on Stafford, who remains in protocol, but rejected talk of shutting down all their star players despite the reigning Super Bowl champions' 3-6 record.

"I think you've got to take each individual case," he said. "As a competitor for those players, you want to be mindful of all the things that go into that. I've always consistently said being smart. They're all factors. We're trying to compete.

"But it's been something nobody could have predicted. When it rains, it pours."

On Sunday, the Rams confirmed wide receiver Allen Robinson II will miss the remainder of the season with a foot stress fracture.

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell will spend at least the next six weeks on the sidelines after suffering his second MCL sprain of the season in Sunday's win against the New Orleans Saints.

It is the same injury he suffered in Week 1, and in that instance he did not return until Week 10, proceeding to contribute in three consecutive wins before bad luck struck again.

A sixth-round pick in last year's NFL Draft, Mitchell burst onto the scene with 1,100 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, but following his injury to begin this season, the 49ers made the decision to invest further in the running back position.

Their trade for former Carolina Panthers superstar Christian McCaffrey insulates the 49ers from the crushing blow of this injury, as it will result in an increased workload for the two-time All-Pro.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said he felt for the 24-year-old after the news of his impending stint on the sidelines.

"It wasn't the news we were looking for," he told reporters. "He's pretty disappointed. 

"Everyone knows how good Elijah has been, how hard he worked to get back from his last one, how good he's been playing since he came back, and to kind of be right back there, I know he was real down on it. 

"It's unfortunate for him. He's just had some real bad luck."

He added: "He knows what's ahead of him. He's just going to have about six weeks of frustration, but hopefully we can do our job here so when he comes back, we're still playing."

There are six weeks remaining in the regular season, and with a 7-4 record, the 49ers are a strong contender for a deep playoff run.

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was vague about Monday's scan results on quarterback Aaron Rodgers' rib injury, but is not considering shutting him down at this stage.

Rodgers exited Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter with a rib injury, undergoing examination at the game, before a further MRI on Monday.

The four-time NFL MVP was bullish after the game about playing in next Sunday's game with the Chicago Bears. LaFleur was hopeful too on Monday following Rodgers' additional scan.

"Sometimes there's stuff that doesn't show up on all the scans," LaFleur told reporters. "All I can tell you is he's feeling a little bit better… we'll know more in the next couple of days."

Rodgers has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing arm for the past six weeks, with his latest knock for a side with a 4-8 record prompting talk he could be shut down for the season.

Packers backup QB Jordan Love came on in the fourth quarter against the Eagles and threw 113 yards on six-of-nine passing including one touchdown in a bright cameo. Shutting down Rodgers would offer Green Bay a chance to give Love more experience.

However, LaFleur insisted that Rodgers would play if he is healthy and that he was not thinking beyond the next game.

"We've not even gone down that road," he said. "I don't think that's what we're arguing here.

"It's just, we've got a lot of faith, quite frankly, in both those guys. But you know, Aaron's the starting quarterback. He's battled through a lot throughout the course of his career. It's pretty well documented.

"I think he's been able to play at a pretty high level through a lot of different situations. So again, we'll take it one game at a time and make the best decision moving forward."

The Packers have the bye after the Bears game, offering the potential for a few weeks' rest for Rodgers if he does not play on Sunday.

"I think all those conversations, we'll have those conversations," LaFleur said. "If that's what we feel is best, then that's what we'll do."

Rodgers has a 64.8 per cent completion rate this season, making 254 of 392 passes for 2,682 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 starts.

The 38-year-old QB's nine interceptions are the most in his career since 2010, while he has also been sacked 24 times.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh acknowledged he was surprised by Lamar Jackson's social media incident following Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The quarterback passed for 254 yards, and rushed for a further 89 from 14 carries, but was unable to prevent defeat as the Jags mounted a late comeback to win at TIAA Bank Field.

Jackson subsequently posted and then deleted a response on Twitter to a fan criticising him following his side's defeat, one which included an apparent homophobic reference.

Speaking on Monday, Harbaugh revealed he has discussed the issue with Jackson, and while he did not condone his player's actions, defended his reputation.

"[I] just beg guys to not to get into the Twitter world right after the game, especially after a loss," he said. "It's never going to be positive. It's not going be a nice place, you know?

"That's kind of reflected in Lamar's response because... that's not the way he speaks. It's not the way he talks. It's not the words he ever uses. I've never heard him say things like that before."

Harbaugh suggested Jackson may have been pulled into his online dispute, and spoke of the player's character in his defence.

"Lamar Jackson, you've been around him," he added. "He's got one of the biggest hearts of anybody I know. You all have seen him the way he treats people, the way he treats kids, the way he treats the media.

"You get trapped sometimes by someone that's baiting you just a little bit. You can't live there. I think that's not a place he wants to be and that's certainly not things that he wants to say."

Aaron Rodgers feared he had suffered a punctured lung in Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but remains hopeful of playing next week.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback exited the game in the third quarter due to a ribs injury, which Rodgers said he sustained in the first half.

Rodgers said it was re-aggravated in the third quarter, leaving him in "intense pain".

"[I was] Just having a hard time breathing and rotating my upper body," Rodgers told reporters. "I was worried about a punctured lung as well, so I wanted to get that checked out. We'll get a scan tomorrow."

Rodgers jogged to the locker room in the third quarter for examination although he said initial X-rays provided little clarity on the extent of the issue.

Despite that, the 38-year-old quarterback, who has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing hand since Week 5, remained hopeful of playing against the Chicago Bears next Sunday.

The four-time NFL MVP threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions in the first half before leaving the game. Rodgers has thrown seven interceptions this season, his most since 2016, along with 19 touchdowns across 11 starts.

Rodgers dismissed any talk of shutting him down either, as the loss left the Packers with a 4-8 record to be third in the NFC North.

"As long as I check out fine tomorrow, I'll expect to play next weekend," Rodgers said. "I might not be able to go Wednesday but as long as there's no major structural damage, I'll try to get back out there.

"Hopefully everything looks good tomorrow, then heal up for a couple of days and see if I can go back out there."

Packers head coach Matt LeFleur backed Rodgers' toughness to play through pain, in a sign he is not considering shutting him down either, despite 24-year-old backup Jordan Love throwing a TD pass for Christian Watson in a bright cameo.

"This is one of the toughest dudes I've ever been around so I don’t ever for a second question his toughness, his desire to be out there, his desire to compete," LeFleur said.

"He apologised to me. I said 'don't ever apologise to me'. I'll never question that.  This guy is the ultimate competitor.

"He's been battling through a lot of stuff all year long. It hasn’t just been this year. It's been the last few years that we've been together. He doesn’t say anything about it, he just keeps competing and being the best he can."

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers exited the Green Bay Packers' game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter with a ribs injury.

The Packers initially said that Rodgers had sustained an oblique injury and was questionable to return after jogging down to the locker room, with his side down 34-23 at the time.

Rodgers appeared uncomfortable throughout a field-goal drive in the third quarter, before heading for the locker room.

The 38-year-old quarterback had spoken at length to Packers medical staff prior to the drive, but continued on, albeit with visible pain as he grimaced his way through plays. He had been sacked earlier in the third quarter by Brandon Graham.

Rodgers' backup Jordan Love entered the game for the Packers' next offensive drive in the fourth quarter.

The QB had completed 11-of-16 passes for 140 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions. That marked the second time in Rodgers' career he had thrown two touchdowns and two picks in a half.

Rodgers revealed during the week that he had been playing with a broken thumb since suffering the injury in Week 5. The Packers were 4-7 heading into Sunday's game.

Jalen Hurts made NFL history as the Philadelphia Eagles improved to 10-1 with a 44-33 victory over the Green Bay Packers, who lost Aaron Rodgers due to an oblique injury on Sunday.

Hurts became the first player in NFL history with 125 passing yards or more and 125 rushing yards or more in a half, finishing on 16-of-28 passing for 153 yards with two touchdowns and 157 rushing yards on 17 carries in a high-scoring encounter at Lincoln Financial Field.

The two sides scored seven touchdowns from 13 full drives in the first half, which was the second game this season each team has 20-or-more points by half-time.

The NFL-leading Eagles got the edge with their running game, becoming the first side since 1978 with 300-plus rushing yards against the Packers, finishing with 363, which was a franchise-best since 1948.

Rodgers threw two touchdowns but also two interceptions in the first half, marking the second time in his career he has done that in a half, before exiting in the third quarter with an oblique injury.

Packers backup QB Jordan Love found Christian Watson for a 63-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 37-30, but Jake Elliott's 54-yard field goal with 2:09 remaining stretched the margin.

Miles Sanders ran in two touchdowns from his 21 carries for 143 yards while Kenneth Gainwell opening the scoring on the first drive of the game.

Hurts delivered to Quez Watkins in the corner on a 30-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left in the first half to open up a 27-20 lead. The Eagles QB found A.J. Brown for a third-quarter TD too.

The Packers, who fall to 4-8 overall, had trailed 13-0 in the first quarter but squared the game up after A.J. Dillon and Randall Cobb TDs. Aaron Jones also scored in the second quarter after Brown's fumble.

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers exited the Green Bay Packers' game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter with an oblique injury.

The Packers said that Rodgers was questionable to return after jogging down to the locker room, with his side down 34-23 at the time.

Rodgers appeared uncomfortable throughout a field-goal drive in the third quarter, before heading for the locker room.

The 38-year-old quarterback had spoken at length to Packers medical staff prior to the drive, but continued on, albeit with visible pain as he grimaced his way through plays. He had been sacked earlier in the third quarter by Brandon Graham.

Rodgers' backup Jordan Love entered the game for the Packers' next offensive drive in the fourth quarter.

The QB had completed 11-of-16 passes for 140 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions. That marked the second time in Rodgers' career he had thrown two touchdowns and two picks in a half.

Rodgers revealed during the week that he had been playing with a broken thumb since suffering the injury in Week 5. The Packers were 4-7 heading into Sunday's game.

The Jacksonville Jaguars produced a stunning 28-27 comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, with Trevor Lawrence leading arguably the best drive of his career.

Trailing 27-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars got the ball back with two minutes and two seconds remaining on the clock, needing a touchdown.

Lawrence, the top overall pick from last year's NFL Draft, led a 10-play, 75-yard drive in 1:48 of game time, threading the needle down the sideline to find Marvin Jones Jr for a 10-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left over.

Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game and force overtime, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson opted to leave his offense on the field for a chance to win it with a two-point conversion.

Lawrence delivered yet again, finding Zay Jones in the flat to take the lead and seal the win.

Speaking to the media after the win, Pederson said he had supreme faith in his 23-year-old quarterback, and trusted him when he said he wanted to go for it.

"What have we got to lose?," he said. "This is something I told the staff during that last five or six minutes of the game – we’ve got to think players, not plays, and trust our guys.

"Our guys believe. They believe. Once we scored that touchdown at the end, they wanted to go for two. It wasn’t my decision. 

"The players were like 'let’s go'. I got a lot of faith and trust in them, and it was just a well-executed play.

"Trevor today was lights out, he played extremely well. That throw, that catch for the two-point was a thing of beauty. I think as a football team too, a win like this just kind of heads us in the right direction."

The Jaguars have been on the losing end of six one-score games this season, and Lawrence said he is excited for this team to be figuring out how to win.

"We’ve been on the other side, so we understand what that feels like too," he said. "I think we’re just appreciative of where we are, how far we’ve come, kind of what’s in front of us still.

"We said it’s a new season once we got back from the bye week. You can’t win seven games until you win one, and we had to start today. 

"Obviously there was some adversity and we had to battle through it, and we just found a way. It was incredible."

He went on to discuss his relationship with Pederson, and how he values the trust placed in him to win the game.

"Just that trust he has in us – we’ve been in that situation a lot and haven’t gotten it done,” he said.

"For him to keep trusting us and keep trusting me and our offense, it was big for us. But I’ve said it before, I’m the same guy. I’ve always been this guy. 

"I haven’t always played my best every week, and that’s going to happen sometimes, but I really love the direction that this offense, this team is heading, and we feel really good about who we are."

With the result, the Jaguars are now 4-7, three wins behind the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South lead.