Falcons vs. Jaguars Game Day Newsletter 2Aug29Falcons_Layout_Digital | Page 31

Jaguars 19, Falcons 17
Date: December 22, 1996
Records entering game: Jaguars 8-7, Falcons 3-12
Site: : Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
Senior writer John Oehser’s fi rst-person look
at 25 memorable games in Jaguars history
continues with this look at a 19-17 victory over
the Atlanta Falcons to clinch the fi rst playoff
appearance in in franchise history.
What happened
The Jaguars secured their fi rst playoff
appearance in historic, dramatic fashion –
clinching a wild-card spot with a 19-17 victory
when Falcons kicker Morten Andersen missed a
30-yard fi eld goal with four seconds remaining.
The Jaguars, who entered the game on a four-
game winning streak that followed a 4-7 start
and who needed a victory to clinch a playoff spot,
took leads of 7-0, 16-3 and 19-10 on an early
11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mark
Brunell and four fi eld goals by kicker Mike Hollis
(23, 26, 22 and 42 yards). But the stalled, point-
blank drives that led to Hollis’ fi eld goals nearly
proved costly for the Jaguars. The Falcons
scored two second-half touchdowns and running
back Craig Heyward’s two-yard touchdown run
with 5:39 remaining cut the Jaguars’ lead to a
suddenly tenuous 19-17. Falcons linebacker Clay
Matthews sacked Brunell to force a Jaguars
punt, preventing the Jaguars from running
out the clock. The Falcons drove from their 30
to the Jaguars 12 in the waning moments in
methodical fashion and appeared poised for the
upset, but Andersen – a future Hall-of-Fame
kicker – slipped as he planted. The kick sailed
wide to send the Jaguars to the postseason for
the fi rst time in franchise history.
“The cool thing about that miss, that moment, was you weren’t expecting to make
the playoffs in 1996. You were hoping to play well and maybe fi nd a way to get
to .500. The unexpected when it happens is always more special because it’s
unexpected.”
– LB Jeff Lageman