Week 15 observations: Ravens beat Jacksonville Jaguars with ease

Things snowballed for these Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15.

It wasn’t long ago that the Jacksonville Jaguars were competitive. That fight didn’t translate into wins, but at least they made things interesting and were even fun to watch. Alas, things have taken a turn in the last two weeks and they have been overwhelmed in back-to-back games and lost 14-44 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15.

By halftime, the Jaguar’s defense had allowed 222 yards and 26 points. The offense didn’t fare much better and was shut down in the first two quarters. They couldn’t get anything going and logged a paltry 61 yards on offense. Their first score of the game came until the third quarter when the game was already out of reach and the second one just before the end of the game.

Sophomore Gardner Minshew II was back as the Jaguars starting quarterback for the first time since Week 7. Heading into the game, there was a slight hope he could recapture his rookie-year magic and give the offense a spark. However, he was rattled all game long and look uncomfortable. He went 22-29 for 226 yards, two touchdowns but was sacked five times, lost a fumble, and threw a pick-six that was negated by a roughing the passer penalty.

Rookie James Robinson had a hard time running against a stout Ravens defense and finished the first half with nine carries for 18 yards. He hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter but left the game with an ankle injury.

-The Jaguars defense again struggled against the run. As a team, the Ravens running game steamrolled Jacksonville and racked up 37 carries for 159, and two touchdowns. They mostly kept quarterback Lamar Jackson in check but had no answer for Baltimore’s offense.

This Jacksonville team has struggled to convert fourth downs and this game was no different. They went for it three times on fourth down and converted just one attempt. At this point, they had nothing to lose, but their inability to move the ball is certainly concerning.

Defensive end Calais Cambell, whom the team traded to Baltimore earlier this year was inactive, but defensive end Yannick Ngakoue made up for it by logging three solo tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble.

What’s next for these Jacksonville Jaguars?

The next two games are going to be taxing. Earlier this week, linebacker Myles Jack said in a sit-down with the media that players must still play for pride while putting tape for coaches and front offices to evaluate them. You could make a case that Doug Marrone was able to get his players to give their best a few weeks ago, but it hasn’t been the case in the last two games.

It will be interesting to see how the Jaguars perform in the next following weeks. The team’s next general manager will need to make decisions about some of the players and will probably be interested in watching how they performed in this stretch of the season.