Jacksonville Jaguars Week 3: The Day After

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The Jacksonville Jaguars lost another game in the most noncompetitive fashion possible last Sunday in their home opener against the Indianapolis Colts. The immediate reaction after the game was actually a lot more positive than one would expect after a 44-17 loss, thanks almost entirely to the debut of rookie quarterback Blake Bortles.

With the ability to look back almost 24 hours later, what can we glean from the Jaguars week 3 loss? Here are a few takeaways:

Blake Bortles Makes This Team Better Now and In the Future

By far the most exciting development in Sunday’s game was the emergence of Blake Bortles in the second half. It took probably the 8 worst quarters of football in franchise history, but head coach Gus Bradley finally decided to bench Chad Henne in favor of the talented young rookie. Bortles did in one half what Henne didn’t do in 2-and-a-half games – he led a functional offense down the length of the field and scored points. There were a lot of other factors at play, but ultimately the Jaguars outscored a Colts team 17-14 that was still passing the ball and playing aggressively in the 2nd half. It might seem silly to think that a change at the quarterback position could have an effect on every aspect of the team, but it sure seemed like it did on Sunday.

Denard Robinson Should Be a Bigger Part of the Offense

Denard Robinson got his biggest workload as a Jaguar on Sunday, accumulating 33 yards on 8 carries. He looked quick, decisive, and explosive, especially on plays where he was given the ball on the edge. Toby Gerhart also played much better than he did in weeks 1 and 2, but quite honestly Robinson just looks better. He’s still getting used to his new position, but Robinson has significantly more upside than Gerhart at this point. The two backs’ workloads were split pretty evenly on Sunday, and hopefully that remains the case going forward.

The Defense is More Concerning than the Offensive Line

The fallacy that the Jaguars offensive line is the worst unit on the team was revealed on Sunday when Bortles took the field in the second half. No, the offensive line isn’t exactly a strength, but they were nowhere near the trainwreck most would have assumed after their 10-sack outing in week 2. The defense was more troubling by a considerable margin, as Andrew Luck had no trouble converting on third down and moving the ball down the field. Chris Clemons is completely unnoticeable on the field most plays and the secondary is leaving guys wide open entirely too often. Gus Bradley has said changes will likely be made in the back 7, so hopefully those will lead to some improvements across the board.

The Jaguars have an Extremely Promising Crop of Receivers

The Jaguars have notoriously invested quite heavily in their wide receiving corps through the franchise’s history, and they might finally have a group to be excited about. Veteran Cecil Shorts is already a solid player, but we’re starting to see flashes out of the rookies from this year’s class. Allen Hurns has flashed some big play ability and has already outplayed his undrafted status, while 2nd round pick Allen Robinson is starting to round into form after missing much of the offseason with an injury. Once Marqise Lee returns, Blake Bortles is going to have a pretty enticing set of guys to spread the ball around to.