Special Teams A Deciding Factor For Jaguars In Loss to Vikings

In another unsuccessful attempt to find a win Sunday against the Vikings, special teams were a crucial factor for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars found defeat again on Sunday in a 25-16 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. While the offense didn’t produce enough big plays, and the defense gave up some key plays, it was mistakes on special teams that played a major role in the Jaguars coming up short.

In a second half in which the Jaguars were in the game, and actually held a lead, special teams completely fell apart and really put Jacksonville’s back against the wall.

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A brief recap of what went wrong for the unit in the second half:

• After driving the ball on their first possession after halftime, Jason Myers missed a 41-yard field goal that would have given the Jaguars a 12-9 lead.
• After scoring a touchdown and taking a 16-12 lead late in the third quarter, the team is called for an inexcusable delay of game on the ensuing kickoff. Something that hasn’t been done in the NFL since 2005.
• After the penalty, Jacksonville chose to squib the kick, and Minnesota returned it to the 38-yard line, which led to a Vikings touchdown.
• In the fourth quarter, Brad Nortman has one of his punts partially blocked.
• Tight end Alex Ellis is called for a backbreaking roughing the punter penalty on a fourth-and-16, gifting the Vikings a first down.
• With 21 seconds left in the game, coach Gus Bradley chose to attempt a 61-yard field goal in an effort to get the game to a one score deficit. The kick attempt was blocked.

The Jaguars are a team that needs to execute everything well and avoid mistakes to compete in games.

In a game in which the offense didn’t turn the ball over and the defense came up huge in goal-line defense, special teams faltered down the stretch and doomed the Jaguars’ hopes on Sunday.