Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns: Pro Football Focus Recap
By Daniel Lago
Dec 1, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (12) makes a catch over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Dwayne Gratz (27) during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
As improbable as it seemed only a few weeks ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves out of the first overall draft selection and 3rd in the AFC South in front of the Houston Texans courtesy of their latest win in Cleveland against the Browns. The offense has improved incrementally since Blaine Gabbert was benched, but the defense has made enormous strides over the course of the season and was a monster game from Josh Gordon away from shutting down Brandon Weeden and the Cleveland Browns’ offense.
Let’s take a look at the grades provided by our friends at Pro Football Focus. Here’s how week 13 played out according to PFF:
Best Overall Offensive Grades: Uche Nwaneri (+3.7), Ace Sanders (+2.1), Jordan Todman (+1.3)
The Jaguars had probably their most balanced offensive performance of the season on Sunday. Uche got credit for solid run and pass blocking and helped provide a clean pocket for Chad Henne the entire game. Ace Sanders is really starting to come on and really made the most of his 11 targets despite getting the ball mostly behind or at the line of scrimmage. Jordan Todman is a great complement to Maurice Jones-Drew and adds some much needed burst out of the backfield. He averaged 6.2 yards on 5 carries all running to the right side.
Best Overall Defensive Grades: Jason Babin (+4.4), Paul Posluszny (+2.0), Dwayne Gratz (+1.9)
Jason Babin has been horrific most of the season but stepped up and provided a pass rush pretty often on Sunday. His two sacks came at opportune times and he singlehandedly caused a turnover before halftime. Paul Posluszny had coverage on Jordan Cameron most of the day and he didn’t allow any big plays against the talented tight end. Despite having the unenviable task of covering Josh Gordon most of the day, Gratz had a terrific day in coverage and couldn’t have done much more to stop Gordon from having his huge day.
Most Disappointing Grades: Will Rackley (-2.8), Cameron Bradfield (-2.7), Brad Meester (-2.6), Winston Guy (-2.4), Roy Miller (-1.6), Tyson Alualu (-1.6)
The entire left side of the offensive line had a rough day all around, but not nearly as bad as in the past. Rackley, Bradfield, and Meester only allowed three combined QB hurries and did alright in pass protection overall. They continue to struggle run blocking, but Jones-Drew still managed to be somewhat productive.
Winston Guy clearly got dinged for his mistake in coverage against Josh Gordon that led to a 95 yard touchdown, but it is a learning experience and you can’t fault him too much for being aggressive and trying to make a play. Roy Miller and Tyson Alaualu were non-factors on the defensive line, but they weren’t exactly liabilities either.
Other notes:
- Johnathan Cyprien had his third straight game with a positive grade (+1.1) and he’s starting to look a lot more comfortable in every aspect. He’ll continue to improve this season and the sky is the limit for him next season.
- Sen’Derrick Marks has solidified himself as a piece going forward next season and his interior pass rush (+2.6 pass rush against the Browns) will pair well with whoever David Caldwell gets to rush the edge.
- He had a few really nice throws in the game, but Chad Henne still graded out poorly (-2.2) thanks to two quarters of ineffective play.
– Daniel Lago
Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89