Kansas City Chiefs vs Jacksonville Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- — Trevor Lawrence tripped and fell to the ground, stumbled trying to get up, finally got back on his feet and then scrambled for a 1-yard touchdown with 23 seconds remaining — turning a comical miscue into an improbable score — and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat Kansas City 31-28 on Monday night. “What a crazy, crazy finish,” said Lawrence, who was serenaded by teammates in the locker room to celebrate his 26th birthday. The chaos ended with the Jaguars (4-1) snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Chiefs (2-3) and matching their win total from last season. Patrick Mahomes, who drove the Chiefs into position to take a 28-24 lead with 1:45 to play, had a final chance with 16 seconds remaining. But he failed to muster much of a threat, and his final throw was incomplete, setting off a raucous celebration for the home team. “We like to make things very interesting,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “But the resiliency is really what I think this team has." Lawrence ran for two touchdowns on the night and also threw for a score, helping balance a performance that included two turnovers. He was perfect when it mattered most for the Jaguars. Lawrence dropped a precision pass to Brian Thomas Jr. for a 33-yard gain on the go-ahead drive and then hit Dyami Brown for another big gain. Chamarri Conner was flagged for pass interference against Thomas on the next play, setting up Lawrence's trip and score. Right guard Patrick Mekari stepped on Lawrence's right foot as he took the snap, and the quarterback fell several yards into the backfield. His first thought was “throw it away.” But when he got to his feet, he saw a lane and took it. He broke a tackle and somehow found the end zone. “It's a goofy finish, but what a tough moment for him,” Coen said. “He wasn't going to lose.” It helped that several defenders, including Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, stopped on the play. “We’ve got to finish that play," Jones said. "It was a fluke play for him to be able to break that many tackles. I put it on us as a defense. We’ve got to finish. We’ve got to bring him down right there.” Lawrence completed 18 of 25 passes for 221 yards. He also ran for a team-high 54 yards. Mahomes accounted for two touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt ran for two more scores for Kansas City, which had won 23 straight when leading by at least 14 points. The Chiefs took an early 14-0 lead, thanks in part to a fumble by Lawrence at the goal line. Jacksonville's comeback got a huge boost from linebacker Devin Lloyd, the AFC defensive player of the month for September. Lloyd returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was the longest interception return in the regular season by a linebacker in NFL history. Lloyd stepped in front of Mahomes' pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster at the goal line and took off the other way for his league-leading fifth takeaway. He juked Mahomes and Hunt, then got up to full speed along the Jaguars’ sideline. He picked up a block from Josh Hines-Allen and then held the ball tight as Tyquan Thornton tried to knock it loose at the 5-yard line. “It's a big win," Lawrence said. "Obviously it's a good team. They've been a good team for a long time. They're hard to beat, they really are. ... At the end of the game, they're always in it and they always seem to make the plays. “So it was cool for us to go take it and have to win it at the end, put together a good drive. And showing up a big stage does say something.” Travis Hunter makes a rookie splash Jaguars two-way standout Travis Hunter made two big-time plays, including the fourth-longest reception by a rookie this season. Hunter hauled in a 44-yarder in the third quarter — and it was no easy catch. The Heisman Trophy winner jumped and reached over Conner to snare the ball and then held on despite getting his legs wiped out by Bryan Cook. The Jaguars scored four plays later to tie the game at 14-all. His catch-and-run in the second quarter was nearly as good. He took a short pass in the left flat and juked two defenders en route to a 12-yard gain. Key injuries Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy hobbled off the field in the third quarter after appearing to tweak an ankle but returned a few plays later. Worthy had been listed as questionable because he got off the team flight with a swollen ankle. Chiefs rookie LT Josh Simmons played despite being added to the injury report shortly before kickoff with an illness. Jaguars TE Brenton Strange left the game in the first half with left hip injury and did not return. Jacksonville played without DE Travon Walker, who had surgery last Monday to repair an injured left wrist. Up next The Chiefs host Detroit on Sunday night. The Jaguars host Seattle on Sunday. ------ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl