The Jaguars Must do a Better Job Moving Forward

The message both Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and head coach Doug Marrone offered to the media on Thursday was clear. This is a team that has to better in executing the game plan if it wants to compete for a playoff berth and a shot at Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta.

Blake Bortles knows he has to do a better job of leading the Jaguars offense. When the fifth-year quarterback met with the media on Thursday, it was evident he knows what this team must do to not only win on Sunday when they face the New York Jets but for the remaining 13 games in the NFL season.

"“It really comes down to us executing the plan,” he said via Jaguars.com."

There is no other player on this roster and possibly the NFL who has as big a bullseye on his chest as Bortles, who signed a three-year, $54-million contract extension in the offseason. Two stellar playoff games and a trip to the AFC Championship game capped what was a modest improvement for No. 5, but in the minds of many, it still wasn’t enough.

A magical game against the New England Patriots has been sandwiched in between two mediocre performances. All things aside, many fans wonder which Bortles will show up from week to week.

The coaching staff has confidence in its signal caller. Bortles has plenty riding on this season.

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So does the other 52 players in the locker room. So does this coaching staff and franchise that finally made the playoffs in 2017 after a 10-year drought.

"“We didn’t take advantage of any opportunities, really. It’s one of those where you watch it and it’s hard to sit there and relive that,” Bortles added. “But you have to learn from it, make corrections and put it in the past and move on quickly – and know that that’s not us and who we want to be.”"

The Jaguars accounted for 232 yards of total offense last week, less than half of the 481 yards the team exploded for in the game against New England. That was the third-lowest total yards and the fewest first downs since Doug Marrone took over as interim head coach in Week 16 of the 2016 season, as Jaguars.con senior writer John Oehser explained.

This game on Sunday sets up nicely for Jacksonville to bounce back against the New York Jets. It also could be one of those games where a team expected to win overthinks things and falls into the trap NFL teams know all too well.

When Marrone spoke to the media on Wednesday morning before practice, he was succinct in how this team must get better in all facets of the game.

"“We need 11 guys doing a much better job; we all understand that,” he said."

Bortles did complete 21 of 34 passes for 155 yards, but he did now throw and interception. He had interceptions, but his longest completion was 19 yards. He was sacked three times.

Players across the board, when asked, said the loss on Sunday was a matter of fixing small areas of concern. The locker room may see this as a few minor adjustments. The local and national media might see it a different way.

Ask the fans and they will tell you they want to see better play on offense this week. They want the Bortles they saw in the team’s first home game of the season.

The player under center on Sunday was reminiscent of how this offense has looked in the past.

Bortles addressed the errors on the field in the passing game.

"“We had some shots downfield that I didn’t pull the trigger on and missed, but you can’t get greedy and start forcing the ball downfield. You want to,” he said.“You want to throw the ball downfield. You want to move it. But I think the [the key is] just playing within the system and staying comfortable happy with completions and being efficient.”"