The Jacksonville Jaguars lost 23-13 to the Denver Broncos in Week 2 despite the fact that they were the first team to put points on the scoreboard. So what exactly went wrong? Was it the offense? Not enough talent? Or maybe inadequate coaching? Head coach Urban Meyer told the local media that he believes the team as a whole has to perform better.
"It’s an ‘us’ issue. We got to make some plays we have to do a lot of things better as a team. And that includes when I say team, it’s always us. The one thing I’ll never do is take the player and do that or a coach and do that but do we have to get better. We’re 0-2."
It would have been great to see Meyer hold himself accountable. After all, he oversees the whole team, and their success (or lack thereof) falls on him. On the other hand, it’s not his fault that quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a couple of interceptions or kicker Josh Lambo missed two field-goal attempts.
Not everything is gloom and doom though. The team committed fewer penalties (seven) than last week (ten). Also, the defense made several stops and return specialist Jamal Agnew scored a touchdown on a 102-yard touchdown.
Nevertheless, the Jaguars have their work cut off. The skilled-position players dropped several passes and the team hasn’t been able to get the running game going in the last two weeks. The coaching staff will need to go back to the drawing board to try to find out why Lawrence struggled on Sunday.
During his sitdown with the local media, Meyer acknowledged the Jaguars are a work in progress and apologized to the fans for the team’s performance, and thanked them for sticking with them.
"Don’t give up on us hang in there with us, we’re gonna get better and the one thing about Jacksonville and go to sleep knowing there’s not going to be any group work harder to get this thing flipped."
This is a young Jaguars’ team in the first year of a rebuild. You will be hard-pressed to find someone who thought they would be a playoff contender in 2021. Heck, winning seven or eight games would constitute a successful season but something in the range of four to six looks more realistic at this point.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are ‘closing to winning’, have their work cut off.
The Jaguars’ offense scored just once in Week 2 and a big reason was quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The former Clemson Tiger showed flashes last week but played like a rookie against the Broncos, posting a 42 percent completion rate with one touchdown and two interceptions. You aren’t going to win many games with that kind of performance unless you have an elite defense, and even then, it’s not guaranteed.
Keep in mind that Lawrence is going to have days like Sunday. He’s still adjusting to the speed and complexity of the NFL and expecting him to play like Peyton Manning 2.0 is not reasonable.
Manning himself struggled in his rookie campaign and finished the year with more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26). Even after the Jaguars’ 0-2 record, Lawrence remains undeterred and believes this team is close to winning.
"I think we’re close and obviously, it’s not what anybody wants to see and it’s frustrating and disappointing. But we’re going to stay together and I really feel like we’re close. We got good enough players to win these games so should I keep going to work."
Despite Lawrence’s less-than-impressive number, Meyer didn’t pin the loss on him. He described the quarterback as a very good leader and an “exceptional” talent. Moreover, he thinks the going is going to “start to slow down” for him as the season progresses.
That’s right, there’s no reason to second-guess the Jaguars’ decision to select Lawrence with the first overall pick in the 2021 draft. No process is linear and the team’s brass is well aware that the rookie quarterback is going to experience a learning curve in 2021.
The Jacksonville Jaguars did what they could against the Broncos.
On a day when the Jaguars’ offense struggled to score, the defense stepped up. However, cornerback Shaquill Griffin told the local media that they can’t point fingers at each other. Instead, they have to stick with each other, and trust one another.
"We still got a long season left and the main thing I don’t want guys to do is to start giving up now. So, the main focus is to stay in it, continue to believe."
It may sound cliché or even corny but Griffin is right. There will be days when the offense is going to bail the defense out, and vice versa. In Week 2, it was the defense’s turn to show out.
The Broncos’ offense mustered a paltry 30 rushing yards and averaged 3.2 yards per carry, so the Jaguars’ defense was definitely doing something right. Moreover, Jacksonville posted three sacks and three passes defensed.
On the other hand, there’s still room for improvement. The Jaguars’ defense once again missed tackles and didn’t force a single turnover. Imagine the kind of momentum Jacksonville would have had if they had snagged an interception or forced a fumble.
The Jaguars would have surely won at least one of their first two games, but they aren’t going to turn into a contender overnight. For the time being, they must trust the process, and work on getter better. Next on the Jaguars’ schedule are the Arizona Cardinals, who just beat the Minnesota Vikings, and are riding a two-game winning streak.