Jacksonville Jaguars self-destruct in 4th quarter, lose to New York Jets 28-23

The Jacksonville Jaguars are kicking themselves after losing yet another winnable game on Sunday, this time in East Rutherford as they fell 28-23 to the New York Jets.

It’s fair to say the Jaguars outplayed the Jets this week – the Jaguars put up 436 yards to the Jets’ 290, and the Jaguars held the Jets’ vaunted rushing attack to a paltry 29 yards. Still, the Jaguars gave Ryan Fitzpatrick plenty of time to throw the ball on third down and he took advantage, throwing for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Ultimately, this was a game the Jaguars should have won but they made too many mistakes and didn’t catch any breaks.

The key plays were as follows:

• Bortles’ first interception on a tipped pass (and a poor decision) led to the Jets second touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
• Nick Marshall’s muffed punt in the 4th quarter led to the game-clinching touchdown.
• That game-clinching touchdown involved an offensive pass interference that wasn’t called on Brandon Marshall.
• Additionally, Marshall’s touchdown “catch” should’ve been overruled because the ball hit the ground while he was securing it.
• To top it all off, the Jaguars had a chance to get the ball back with almost 2 minutes left at midfield when Chris Ivory fumbled, but somehow Paul Posluszny didn’t recover it. The Jets managed to keep the ball and punt it to pin the Jaguars deep with only 54 seconds left.

Are the Jaguars an improved team compared to 2013 and 2014? Absolutely.

That doesn’t excuse how the Jaguars have lost most of their games this season. Every week, the Jaguars find a way to lose their game in a new fashion, and for once the coaching staff probably should shoulder most of the blame here. There were too many mistakes by individuals and that ultimately cost them the game.

With the Titans winning against New Orleans this week, the Jaguars have lost any advantage they had in the AFC South race. We should probably put the delusional playoff hopes to bed for now, especially as the Jaguars prepare for another road game in Baltimore.