The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t go into their Week 1 game thinking they were going to lose. But they surely weren’t prepared for everything the Houston Texans threw at them. In the end, the Jags were outmatched and couldn’t keep up with a team that looked less talented on paper.
Credit where credit is due, Texans head coach David Culley prepared his players for Sunday’s game while the Jaguars looked undisciplined and slow. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor played mistake-free football, throwing for two touchdowns with no interceptions and Houston’s defense did a good job of neutralizing the Jags’ offense. On defense, Jacksonville had no answer for the Texans’ skilled-position players and let wide receiver Brandin Cooks, running back Mark Ingram and tight end Pharaoh Brown run amok.
After the game, quarterback Trevor Lawrence told the local media the Jaguars need to build on the positives and look at everything that went wrong and fix it, which is the reasonable thing to do. The coaching staff and the players can’t let the loss linger. Keep in mind that teams are still reading the terrain at this point of the campaign. It’s not an excuse for the Jaguars’ inadequate performance against the Texans but a dropping one game won’t make or break their season.
As Lawrence pointed out, the Jags did some good things in Week 1. Of course, the negatives outweighed the bright spots. Otherwise, they would have won the matchup, but this Jacksonville team can win a few games if they play up to their talent moving forward. For the time being, here are the studs and the duds from the Jaguars’ disappointing Week 1 loss.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a few studs on both offense and defense.
1. Trevor Lawrence, quarterback
The Jaguars took Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft because they believe he can be the franchise quarterback they have sorely need. The Clemson product showed flashes throughout the offseason and had an adequate debut in Week 1. He wasn’t great but he wasn’t dreadful either, going 28-of-51 for 332 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. The interceptions were on him. As he told the local media, he tried to do too much, but this will be a learning experience for him.
Speaking of experience, Lawrence should be able to process his reads faster and cut down on the interceptions the more he plays. His first start was a step in the right direction and should improve as the season goes on.
2. DJ Chark, wide receiver
Sure, wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. was targeted 12 times and just caught three passes but those went for 86 yards and one touchdown. He also posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 66.5. On the other hand, he was credited with two drops and he will need to fix that. Also, the former LSU Tiger and Trevor Lawrence need to keep working on their timing but it’s good to see what he can do with a talented quarterback throwing him the ball.
3. Josh Allen, outside linebacker
Why did the Jaguars’ coaching staff ask Josh Allen to drop in coverage? It’s hard to tell. On the bright side, he looked like the dominant player he was before he suffered a knee injury last season. In Week 1, the 2019 first-round pick logged five solo tackles, one sack, and two quarterback hits. He also earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 72.7, the third-highest among Jaguars’ defensive players. Allen and linebacker Myles Jack give Jacksonville a core of playmakers on defense but they can’t do it all alone.
The Jacksonville Jaguars need better production from their secondary.
1. Tyson Campbell, cornerback.
Back in the preseason, rookie cornerback Tyson Campbell had a hard time playing the ball, giving up two touchdown receptions. His struggles continued well into the regular season, allowing five passes and a 100 completion rate in Week 1. He finished the game with two tackles but he made them once the ball was caught.
The former Georgia Bulldog posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 39.5. Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen said the coaching staff is working with Campbell to improve his ball skills, so it will be interesting to see if he can improve in that area over the next few weeks. He has the athleticism to excel in the pros but he has to display better awareness moving forward.
2. Andrew Wingard, safety.
Heading into the game, Joe Cullen told the media that Andrew Wingard would start at safety but would alternate snaps with rookie Andre Cisco. In the end, Wingard got plenty of playing time with less-than-stellar results. The Wyoming product appeared in 71 percent of the Jags’ defensive snaps and missed a staggering 28.6 percent of his tackle attempts even though he was in a position to make most of them.
The coaching staff believed Wingard was a better option at safety than Cisco but that wasn’t certainly the case. Don’t be surprised if he’s one and done as a starter and the rookie gets the nod in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos.
File these Jacksonville Jaguars under the dud category after Week 1.
3. A.J. Cann, offensive lineman
Trevor Lawrence was only sacked one time but the Jaguars’ offensive line was far from perfect. In particular, right guard A.J. Cann struggled in pass protection. He gave up seven total pressures and posted a subpar Pro Football Focus grade of 38.0. In fact, he earned the lowest grade of any Jaguar on offense.
4. K’Lavon Chaisson, outside linebacker
EDGE rusher K’Lavon Chaisson finished the 2020 season strong, posting 21 pressures in the last seven games. Thus, it was fair to expect him to pick up where he left off in Week 1. However, he played in less than 50 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, logging one tackle and one assist. He posted two pressures but also missed 33 percent of his tackle attempts.
5. Urban Meyer, head coach
That’s right, Urban Meyer deserves criticism for not having his team ready to play in the season opener despite the fact that he had months to prepare for the matchup. The Jaguars committed 10 penalties and were twice flagged for illegal formation, which falls on the head coach.
Also, the Jaguars abandoned the run too early in the game and had rookie Trevor Lawrence throw 51 passes. That’s simply not a recipe for success. The case could be made that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell should shoulder the blame for that one but he had to run the game plan by Meyer.
Throughout the offseason, Meyer talked about the emphasis the team was placing and strength and conditioning. You wouldn’t have known it watching the Jaguars play in Week 1. The Texans looked like the superior team on both offense and defense. If you want to criticize Meyer for something, do it for the team’s lack of preparation in the season opener.