Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Diego Chargers: Pro Football Focus Recap

After a promising performance in Denver against the juggernaut Broncos, the Jacksonville Jaguars came back to Everbank field with very little energy and the intent to completely dishearten the fans. Despite a cross-country trip after a Monday night game, Philip Rivers did whatever he wanted against an ineffective Jaguars defense and Chad Henne failed to score a touchdown against an undermanned Chargers team.

Let’s take a look at who had the best and worst performances using the advanced metrics from our friends at Pro Football Focus.

Oct 20, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Mike Brown (12) in the fourth quarter of their game against the San Diego Chargers at EverBank Field. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-6. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Best Overall Offensive Grades:  Austin Pasztor (+3.6), Mike Brown (+2.8), Uche Nwaneri (+1.2)

Austin Pasztor was forced into duty after David Caldwell traded Eugene Monroe to the Ravens, and while he was initially thought of as a stop gap solution, Pasztor could be entrenching himself as the right tackle of the future. He continues to pass block well (+2.6) and his run blocking improved significantly over last week. (+0.6). Mike Brown had a breakout game in the slot with Ace Sanders sidelined. Brown caught 5 of the 8 balls thrown his way for 120 yards and got 67 of those after the catch. Brown also got a bump for his terrific block on a screen to Justin Blackmon. Uche had a solid performance overall and wasn’t challenged much by the Chargers defensive tackles.

Best Overall Defensive Grades:  Will Blackmon (+1.8), Tyson Alualu (+1.6), Andre Branch (+1.4)

Will Blackmon has solidified himself as this team’s top defensive back and his good play continued on Sunday. He only had one ball thrown his way, but he was great in run support. Tyson Alualu had his first positively graded game of the season on the strength of solid run defense.  Andre Branch somehow graded out well in the pass rush department with two QB hits, but he still looks ineffective for the most part live.

Most Disappointing Grades: Marcedes Lewis (-1.0), Will Ta’ufo’ou (-0.9), Geno Hayes (-5.5), Alan Ball (-3.4)

Outside of one terrific catch and run for 31 yards, Marcedes Lewis had little impact in his return. He wasn’t his usual dominant self as a blocker, but that should return as he gets more comfortable. Will Ta’ufo’ou had similar troubles as his negative grade was based mostly on his pass blocking.

Geno Hayes was ineffective in both run defense and pass coverage. He allowed all 4 balls thrown his way to be caught and he had two missed tackles. Alan Ball also gave up 4 catches but one of them was the one to Keenan Allen where he incorrectly wasn’t called down.

Other notes:

• Johnathan Cyprien has progressively been getting better grades from PFF, but he still only managed a (-1.6) grade. His coverage skills still need some refining but his physical ability shows up live.
• Cecil Shorts III played hurt and it may have affected his ability to catch the ball. Shorts had two drops, one of which was a touchdown pass. He still had the most targets though (12) and is open pretty consistently.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89