Chad Henne and Jacksonville Jaguars Inept on Offense, Fall to Raiders 19-9

The Jacksonville Jaguars improved from their opening game against the Chiefs last week. That was the best thing you could say about their week 2 game against the Oakland Raiders. Despite a light surge at the end of the game, the Jaguars were utterly incompetent on offense. The defense actually did a decent job keeping them in the game, but too many three-and-outs doomed the Jaguars on the west coast.

Sep 15, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars punter Bryan Anger (19) punts the ball against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

We saw a lot of Bryan Anger on Sunday.

The Good

• The defense played relatively well, all things considered. They get the “good” moniker by default because the rest of the team was so bad. They gave up some big plays but stiffened up in the red zone and held the Raiders to 4 field goals. Jonathan Cyprien was physical and had some big hits, but also missed a few open field tackles. In reality the defense is the least of the Jaguars’ concerns.
• The coaching staff deserves some credit despite such poor play for most of the game. Separate the coaching from the production and take a look at the talent on this team. The Jaguars have no quarterback, no pass rusher, no interior offensive line… I’ll stop there but the point is fairly clear. With what little this staff has to work with it’s a wonder that the Jaguars didn’t get blown out, even against a below average Raiders team. It’ll be exciting to see what they do with some more talent.

The Bad

Sep 15, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Ace Sanders (18) is unable to catch the ball against Oakland Raiders cornerback Tracy Porter (23) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The offensive skill players didn’t do much to help Chad Henne move the offense today (until the 4th quarter when the game was over). Cecil Shorts III and Ace Sanders both contributed a couple of drops and the receivers in general had a hard time getting open downfield all day. Newcomers Clay Harbor and Stephen Burton made a couple nice catches, and Ace Sanders recovered with a huge catch in the fourth quarter. Still the offense as a whole is lacking in a lot of areas.

The Because Jaguars

• The offensive line continues to play horribly, especially the interior line. Henne had too many “no-chance” plays where the pass rushers were almost immediately in the backfield. Luke Joeckel had a few penalties and is playing like a rookie, which is to be expected. Unfortunately the rest of the line has no excuse to be playing so poorly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see three new starters on the offensive line next year.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89