Photo: The Canadian Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trevor Lawrence led Jacksonville to an improbable rally — aided in part by Philadelphia’s distaste for taking automatic points — and had a needed road victory within reach.

Lawrence instead wasted his last-ditch pass to spark the Jaguars’ biggest win of the season.

His pass attempt intended for running back D’Ernest Johnson was batted away in the end zone by linebacker Nakobe Dean, a late turnover that erased Doug Pederson’s chance to win on the coach’s return to Philadelphia and helped the Eagles hold on. Victory 28-23 Sunday evening.

“They made plays in the back of the end zone,” Pederson said.

Lawrence dropped back from the Eagles 13 and threw a deep pass to Johnson, the Jaguars going for a first down with 1:42 left.

“It’s just something you have to try to do, right? If you can stay within limits, you stay within limits,” Pederson said. “Or if it’s incomplete, you downplay another one, whatever it was. But at the end of the day, we still needed to score and I felt good with the way our defense played, they would give us a chance.

Pederson coached for his work with the Jaguars – proclaimed the “ best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, always,” by owner Shad Khan in preseason — spiraling into a season that needs a little wonder to make the playoffs.

“It’s the same thing over and over again this season,” Lawrence said.

Pederson led the Eagles to the franchise’s only Super Bowl championship — a 2017 world champions banner hangs at the Linc — and he was feted with a statue outside the stadium.

The bronze image of Pederson was about as efficient as Jacksonville’s offense got in the first half, with just 32 total yards and a first down. Lawrence and the Jaguars didn’t even cross midfield until the third quarter before a flurry of late scores — two touchdowns in the third quarter, one in the fourth — gave the team some life. team.

The Jaguars have been so awful this season that a game originally scheduled for a Sunday night prime-time showcase was pushed back to a late afternoon kickoff.

As the game descended into darkness, the Jaguars played like a team that finally seemed close to the one so full of promise that Khan had so early in the season.

And few coaches know how to pull off late wins in Philadelphia like Pederson.

Pederson enjoyed a happy ride home before kickoff, chatting with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni. Pederson was 42-37-1 in five seasons with the Eagles, including a Super Bowl victory over New England in just his second season with backup quarterback Nick Foles filling in after Carson Wentz was injured.

The Jaguars were going to be an underdog under the circumstances anyway, but injuries and even a trade left them playing on their heels from the start.

The Jaguars are without Christian Kirk for the remainder of the season after surgery to repair a broken collarbone, forcing second-year pro Parker Washington into the starting lineup. Washington had three catches for 41 yards.

Wideout Gabe Davis was out with a shoulder injury and Brian Thomas Jr. played through sore ribs to catch two passes for 22 yards. Walker Little started at left tackle after Cam Robinson was traded last week and left guard Ezra Cleveland missed the game with an ankle injury.

The Jaguars lost three more players to injuries during the game.

These are the kind of absences that a team like the Jaguars can ill afford against an Eagles team that is fighting for first place in the NFC East.

The Jaguars showed combativeness at the end of the match.

Lawrence sparked Jacksonville’s second-half rally when he scored on a 1-yard run and threw a 2-point conversion pass late in the third to make it 22-8. Saquon Barkley, who had 199 total yards for the Eagles, then fumbled on the next possession, and the loose ball was recovered by Travon Walker and returned 35 yards for a touchdown. The Jaguars cut it to 22-16 after another 2-point conversion.

Lawrence — 16 of 31 for 169 yards and two interceptions, each against Eagles linebackers — added a 4-yard TD scramble with 4:04 left that made it 28-23.

His choice sealed the deal.

Jacksonville has lost 12 of its last 15 games, a surprising streak after starting 8-3 last year. Slow starts, costly mistakes and a failure to deliver in crunch time have been hallmarks of the Jags’ slide — and all of them have been on display in Philadelphia.

___

AP NFL: