Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans: Pro Football Focus Recap

Nov 10, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars guard Uche Nwaneri (77) waves to fans as he departs the field after defeating the Tennessee Titans 29-27 during the second half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars actually won twice this weekend after the most depressing 9 week stretch in franchise history. In addition to notching their first win of the season against their hated rivals the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars remained in the lead for the first overall pick and likely their franchise quarterback in 2014. Consequently, the advanced metrics were exceptionally kind to the Jaguars this week, particularly on defense.

Let’s take a look at the grades provided by our friends at Pro Football Focus. Here’s how week 10 played out according to PFF:

Best Overall Offensive Grades:  Marcedes Lewis (+3.6), Cecil Shorts (+1.2), Will Ta’ufo’ou (+0.6)

Marcedes Lewis ended up with a great grade on the strength of a beastly run after the catch where he bowled over a Titans defender. He also had his best run blocking performance (+1.6) amidst some pretty bad offensive line play. Shorts had a solid day despite some erratic play by Chad Henne, and he was open more often than his 4 targets indicate. Will Ta’ufo’ou also shows up here on the basis of his run blocking even though the rushing numbers were disappointing overall.

Best Overall Defensive Grades:  Dwayne Gratz (+4.4), Geno Hayes (+3.5), Will Blackmon (+2.3)

Dwayne Gratz was on Nate Washington most of the day and he did a good job of limiting his effectiveness. He also snagged the interception off of a terrible throw by Jake Locker. Geno Hayes was utilized often in coverage and he did a good job of keeping the short passes in front of him. Will Blackmon had the highlight of the day with his game-sealing fumble return for a touchdown, but he was also good enough in coverage that only one pass was thrown his way all day.

Most Disappointing Grades: Uche Nwaneri (-6.0), Chad Henne (-4.9), Austin Pasztor (-4.6), Paul Posluszny (-3.0), Jason Babin (-2.1), Johnathan Cyprien (-1.7)

Uche Nwaneri had easily his worst game of the season. It’s no wonder the running game was so ineffective when you look at his (-4.4) and Austin Pasztor’s (-4.4) run blocking grades. The pass blocking was slightly better overall but the offensive line was clearly overmatched by the Titans’ defensive front. Chad Henne was his usual below average self, except he threw two awful interceptions to really make head coach Gus Bradley think about starting him again.

Paul Posluszny got dinged pretty hard for his coverage before leaving the game, but he held his own in the run game. Jason Babin continues to get penalties and is clearly not worth any “value” he has as a pass rusher. It’s still boggling as to why he’s even on the roster anymore. Johnathan Cyprien is improving steadily, particularly in coverage, but he still graded out near the bottom.

Other notes:

• Sen’Derrick Marks continues to be a pass rushing force in the interior (+2.6 pass rush grade), as evidenced by the holding call he forced in the end zone for a safety.
• The Jaguars have a pretty good trio of cornberbacks with Gratz, Blackmon, and Alan Ball who combined for an overall (+8.1) grade.
• Mike Brewster filled in at left guard for Will Rackley and while he wasn’t very good (-1.5 overall), he was miles better than his predecessor.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89