Bears hand Jacksonville Jaguars 14th loss of the year: Observations

The Jacksonville Jaguars have now lost 14 consecutive games.

On Saturday, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone made the decision to start quarterback Mike Glennon instead of Gardner Minshew II against the Chicago Bears in Week 16. This didn’t come as a surprise, as he had said earlier this week he was going to play whoever gave the team the best chance to win Sunday.

However, Glennon wasn’t able to get the ‘Jags’ over the hump, and they lost their 14th straight game in 2020. He failed to make a difference on the field and ended up throwing two interceptions. Although this was a close matchup in the first half and Jacksonville was down 13-10 heading into halftime, the Bears quickly distanced themselves and scored 28 points in the second half to end the game 41-17.

All in all, Glennon was 24-of-37 for 211 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Based on how he played and Marrone’s decision not to stick with one quarterback in recent weeks, don’t be surprised if he has Glennon and Minshew compete again ahead of Week 17.

With rookie superstar James Robinson out with an ankle injury, running back Dare Ogunbowale made the most out of his opportunity and racked up 14 carries for 71. The Jaguars will likely revamp their running back in the offseason, but the Wisconsin product tried to make his case to stay in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars haven’t been able to get wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. involved in recent weeks. Nevertheless, the Jaguars targeted him seven times Sunday and he hauled in four receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown. Rookie Laviska Shenault Jr. also caught a 34-yard touchdown pass towards the end of the fourth quarter, but by then the game was already out of reach.

The Jacksonville Jaguars couldn’t stop the Bears from moving the ball.

The Jaguars defense made Jimmy Graham looked six years younger and like his former Pro Bowl self. The tight end entered the game averaging 8.7 yards per reception in 2020. However, he hauled in four receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 17.25 yards per catch in Week 16.

The Jaguars couldn’t stop Chicago from scoring 41 points, and couldn’t consistently pressure quarterback Mitch Trubisky. They failed to generate pressure at the line of scrimmage and the only sack they registered was by linebacker Joe Schobert, who intercepted a pass just before halftime and forced a fumble that the Bears recovered.

Looking at the Jaguars’ performance against the Bears, they may have a hard time looking for a valid reason to keep Doug Marrone beyond 2020. Also, the need for improvements was clear Sunday. On the bright side, this Jacksonville team has clinched the first overall pick in 2021’s draft.