Jaguars’ loss to Rams shows Urban Meyer must change approach

Both the Jaguars’ offense and defense didn’t do their part in Week 13.

Dawuane Smoot is having a good year and looking back, the decision to re-sign him in the offseason was a good one. He’s appeared in all 12 games this season and has logged four sacks, 24 total tackles, and one forced fumble as a part of the defensive line rotation. The veteran edge rusher also met with the local media after the loss and talked about having to do a better job, “keep doing it, keep fighting, keep trying to turn this thing around”.

Also, Smoot took a slight jab at the offense, directly or indirectly. He noted the defense can only do so much but they can’t perform at a high level when they’re spending more time than they should on the field.

"I would just say like a defense, we were out there for a while and there’s only so much we can do. We were out there for 60-plus plays and you’re just like back to back to back. Cooper Kupp is an amazing player, he’s eventually gonna get off, he gets paid just like we do. We contain them as long as we could and feel like our guys in the back end did a really good job."

The Jaguars’ defense was on the field for 66 plays while the offense fail to sustain drives. Of course, it goes both ways. Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen’s unit allowed a season-high 37 points and that’s not on the offense. The Jaguars’ front seven didn’t register a turnover and sacked quarterback Matthew Stafford just once. Moreover, they gave up 24 first downs and struggled to stop the offense.

Contrary to what Meyer told the media, the Jaguars’ pass defense wasn’t great against the pass, and had no answer for Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who hauled in eight receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown. Moreover, Sony Michael ended the game with 121 rushing yards on 24 carries even though Los Angeles had struggled to run the ball in recent weeks.

Both the offense and their defense have their work cut out and if they want to avoid another loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 15, they must do something and quick.