3 key stats that defined the Jaguars’ loss vs. Falcons in Week 12

If you could pick with certainty one game the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to win, it was the one against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12. However, the Jags ended up losing 21-14 even though the Falcons were coming off a two-game streak and had scored a combined three points in their last two games.

If the Jaguars want to keep up with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13, they will need to fix the following three issues that popped up against the Falcons and have persisted in recent weeks.

Concerning Jaguars issue No. 1 – The Jaguars gave up 149 rushing yards.

As recently as Week 9, the Jaguars’ had a stout run defense but that is no longer the case. Against Atlanta, they had no answer for wide receiver/running back Cordarelle Patterson and gave up 149 rushing yards to the Falcons. To make matters worse, this wasn’t an outlier. This is the third straight week in which they let opposing teams go over 100 yards rushing.

From Week 6 to Week 9, Jacksonville’s defense gave up an average of 72 rushing yards. In the last three games, they’ve surrendered 149. Josh Allen told the local media cited overrunning blocks and playing too thick on the block as reasons for not being able to stop Patterson in Week 12.

The silver lining is that the Jaguars have allowed less than 200 passing yards in three of their last four games. Then again, it may not matter much since they went on to lose those three matchups. The Jags’ offense is struggling more than the defense but that doesn’t give them a free pass and the two units have played a factor in the team’s most recent three-game skid.

The Los Angeles Rams rank 24th in rushing yards heading into Week 13. They have tallied fewer than 100 rushing yards in three of their last four games. This will be a good chance for the Jaguars’ run defense to get back on track. They can’t put it to waste.