Weekly Superlatives: Jaguars @ Jets
The youthful Jaguars once again fell short on Sunday, this time to a talented Jets’ team that appears to be a playoff contender. The Jags made several crucial errors, but this game was not void of impressive individual performances by Jaguars’ players.
MVP and Offensive Player of the Week: the Brothers Allen — Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson have been the two most consistent weapons for this offense all season long, and they were at it again on Sunday against the Jets. Allen Hurns caught 5 passes for 122 yards and scored the first Jags’ touchdown of the game — a 30 yard score that kept the Jaguars within striking distance going into halftime. Robinson was able to haul in 6 catches for 121 yards, including a 44 yard bomb, where he made an impressive catch, wrestling the ball away from the defender. These two receivers have consistently helped this offense move the ball down the field this season and have been by far the most important weapons for the Jags in terms of putting points on the board. They have now combined for 12 touchdowns, crossing the goal line 6 times each, and are both on pace to shatter several Jaguars’ records. Hurns has already set a Jaguars’ record for games in a row with a receiving touchdown — his record now stands at 6 games.
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Defensive Player of the Week: Telvin Smith — It is becoming a common theme having Telvin Smith show up as the defensive player of the week. He is the Jags’ most consistent defender and is one of the true bright spots on a defense that has been mediocre at best in 2015. Against the Jets he managed 7 tackles and a forced fumble. He consistently makes big plays for the Jags defense in only his second year in the league.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Jason Myers — Myers has often been the bain of Jaguars’ fans existence this year, but against the Jets, Myers was everything that the Jags needed him to be. He was 3 for 3 on field goals and even made his extra point attempts this week. Myers looked like a seasoned vet in this one, not the rookie struggling to find consistency that he truly is.
Needs the Most Improvement: The Jaguars’ Offensive Line — Sure, the Jaguars’ offensive line is much better than it was last year, but as a unit there is still a ton of room for improvement. They allowed 5 sacks on the day to a Jets’ defense that only had 11 sacks coming into this matchup. The pass blocking just isn’t consistent enough as Bortles has been sacked 25 times on the season, the fourth most sacks taken by a quarterback this year. In addition to the offensive lines’ failure to protect their quarterback, they also didn’t provide their runners with enough space to make a huge difference in the game. Jaguars’ running back, T.J. Yeldon, had one explosive run of 45 yards but other than that, he was held to just 19 yards on 13 carries. There was no room for him to work and as a result the Jags became one dimensional. The Jaguars’ offensive line must improve going forward for the Jaguars to have a chance to win close games.
The Jaguars have consistently turned in impressive individual performances throughout this season, but seem to come up short at the end due to costly mistakes. They head to Baltimore next week to take on a reeling Ravens’ team that is desperate for a win. Despite the Ravens’ failure to win games, they too have been close in nearly every game they have played. The Jags will have to cut down on the costly mistakes in order to beat the struggling, yet talented, Ravens.