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The Jacksonville Jaguars were left to rue their missed chances after narrowly falling to defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Divisional Round Saturday.
The Jags have enjoyed a remarkable season, turning their franchise around under Doug Pederson following an awful 3-14 record in 2021, and the future looks bright in Jacksonville with Trevor Lawrence under center.
Regardless, that is unlikely to make Saturday's 27-20 defeat any easier to take, and Lawrence was honest in his assessment of the loss when he spoke to reporters in the locker room.
Doug Pederson was honest in his post-game assessment after the Jaguars' 27-20 defeat
Trevor Lawrence was insistent this is just the beginning for Jacksonville after their Chiefs loss
'You put so much into it. You dedicate everything you have for six months to get these opportunities. To come up short, it stings,' he said.
'We'll be back. I'm confident of that. This is more the beginning than the end of something. This is just getting started for us.'
Still, it's hard for Jacksonville not to wonder what might have been.
The trouble began after Mahomes left with an ankle injury early in the second quarter. One of the league's best defenses promptly allowed 37-year-old journeyman Chad Henne to lead the Chiefs on a 12-play, 98-yard touchdown drive, putting the Jaguars in a 17-7 hole in the waning minutes of the first half.
'That was a turning point in the game,' Jaguars coach Pederson said. 'We had them at the 2-yard line and we let them off the hook. But those are opportunities where we need to be better.'
Quarterback Lawrence has been one of the standout players in the NFL during 2022 season
Then, once Mahomes returned from the second-half locker room, their defense failed to get much pressure on the suddenly immobile quarterback.
And with time in the pocket to look downfield, Mahomes shredded Jacksonville on a 75-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter that made
