Jacksonville Jaguars survive fightback to see off New Orleans Saints

Trevor Lawrence and Christian Kirk combined for winning score after 15-point cushion wiped out.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk, left, runs past New Orleans Saints safety Jordan Howden (31) for a 44-yard touchdown (Butch Dill/AP) (AP)

Trevor Lawrence and Christian Kirk combined for a 44-yard touchdown as Jacksonville Jaguars survived a New Orleans Saints comeback to win 31-24 on the road.

The Jaguars had seen a 24-9 lead vanish in the fourth quarter before Lawrence found Kirk with a short pass over the middle and they secured a fourth straight win.

Lawrence threw for 204 yards as the Jaguars continued their best start since 2007 when they also began 5-2.

Travis Etienne ran for two touchdowns as the Jaguars opened a 17-6 interval lead, Foyesade Oluokun returning an interception off Derek Carr 24 yards for a touchdown to open a 15-point cushion.

But Taysom Hill kicked off the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run and Carr threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas and then found Alvin Kamara with the two point conversion which levelled the scores.

Carr, who completed 33 of 55 passes for 301 yards, could not connect on four straight attempts on the final drive after Kirk’s score as the Saints dropped to 3-4.