The Jacksonville Jaguars lost 31-7 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8. It would be one thing if they had made it competitive and kept things close. After all, moral victories aren’t great but they could have shown they were playing to the best of their capacities. Instead, they nearly got shut down and looked overmatched for most of the game.
Simply, the Jags should have won this one. The Seahawks had lost three consecutive games ahead of Week 8 and were without star quarterback Russell Wilson. Since taking over, Geno Smith had been nothing to write about but Jacksonville made him look like an elite passer.
After the game, head coach Urban Meyer met with the local media and said he didn’t expect the game to go the way it did.
"We’re just disappointed. Obviously, we’ve got to play better, we’re gonna prepare better. And I didn’t see that come. I saw a good week of practice, freshened up from a bye week and go down 14-nothing."
Meyer said the team had decent practice in the days ahead of the game but that didn’t seem the case. The team looked undisciplined and committed 12 penalties, one of which nullified an interception by cornerback Tre Herndon.
Either Meyer underestimate the level of competition or didn’t prepare well for the game. Neither explanation reflects well on him. Regardless of the talent level on the roster, good teams don’t get penalized a staggering as many times as the Jags did Sunday. There are several players whose execution was lacking but things such as having 12 players on the field at the same time fall on the coaching staff.
Next are other observations from Meyer’s sitdown with the local media and some of the comments some Jaguars players said after the game.
Urban Meyer discussed RB James Robinson’s injury in Week 8.
Second-year running back James Robinson was off to a good start in Week 8, racking up 22 yards on four carries. However, he suffered an ankle injury early and exited the game. He was listed as questionable and never returned. Meyer told the media he had a bruised heel and said he was going to undergo further testing Monday to know the severity of the injury.
Not having Robinson was definitely a blow to the Jaguars’ offense. Carlos Hyde stepped in at running back and had a solid performance, carrying the ball nine times for 32 yards. However, the Jags fell behind and they abandoned the run in an effort to try to get back in the game.
If Robinson has to miss time, Hyde will start in his place. The 2014 second-round pick has been solid throughout his career but there’s a noticeable dropoff from Robinson to Hyde. As Meyer said during his press conference, this team isn’t built to throw the ball and depends on the sophomore.
It’s worth mentioning that Robinson became the 21st Jaguars player that total 2,000 yards from scrimmage, per the team’s PR account on Twitter. The former Redbird achieved the feat in 21 games, the second-fastest time, trailing Fred Taylor, who did it in 20.
In the first six games of the season, Robinson toted the rock 84 times for 437 yards with five touchdowns. He was among the statistical leaders at his position and has been one of the best players on the Jaguars’ offense. Hopefully, the Jags won’t lose him for an extended period of time.
Jaguars players are taking responsibility for the loss, call it depressing.
Jaguars players are aware they underperformed against the Seahawks and know they must do a better job moving forward. Linebacker Myles Jack had a solid game, logging nine total tackles and one tackle for a loss. He met with the media after the lopsided and said players didn’t execute and pinned the loss on them.
"We ourselves have to stop shooting us and you know, shooting ourselves in the foot and I’m speaking from the player’s perspective, you know what I mean?"
Jack acknowledged there are certain things they need to “tighten up”. Regarding having 12 me on the field, he said there was no excuse and added they have to have better communication. He described the outcome of the game as “depressing and embarrassing”. On the other hand, the linebacker believes there is still time to turn things around, “we got 10 weeks, so it’s simple fixes we have to make we just have to do it. And the time is now”.
Outside linebacker Josh Allen also spoke to the media and also described their performance as embarrassing. However, he isn’t letting it get to him. Quite the contrary, he sees it as an opportunity to get better.
"I’m ready to take responsibility for plays that I missed and learn and grow with my teammates and I believe we’re going to do I think I believe we’re going to do that."
It’s good to hear Allen adopt that mindset. Even though the Jaguars’ defense struggled as a whole, he was outstanding at an individual level, logging six tackles, four tackles for a loss, and two sacks. As a team captain, he’s supposed to set the example, and even though he had a good performance against the Seahawks, he knows that more is needed from him if the Jaguars want to get back to the win column.