Jaguars get swept by Titans in Week 14, offense gets shut down

Do you know what’s worse than disliking something? Being indifferent to it. That’s how the Jacksonville Jaguars are making some feel after their 20-0 to the Titans, their fifth straight, and the 11th overall this season.

For the second consecutive game, a quarterback had a bounce-back game against the Jags. Last season, it was Matthew Stafford and it was Ryan Tannehill’s turn Sunday. The Jags’ often sent a blitz and frequently did a good job of slowing him down but despite the pressure, he was successful in passes over the middle and went 20-of-31 for 191 yards.

In fact, the Jaguars’ front seven did a good job of applying pressure throughout the game, tallying four sacks. Linebacker Damien Wilson and defensive linemen Roy Robertson-Harris, Jihad Ward, and Dawuane Smoot all got one each. Looking back, it’s kind of puzzling defensive coordinator Joe Cullen didn’t keep dialing up blitzes. Early in the game, cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin and Rudy Ford blitzed and should have gotten a couple more opportunities to bring the heat to Tannehill.

You can’t blame the defense for losing this one. Sure, they gave up 17 points and didn’t force any turnovers but there’s only so much you can do if the offense can’t move the ball, which is precisely what happened to the Jaguars. They had 11 possession and couldn’t muster a single point. Even heading into the third quarter, the Jags had a realistic to come back, as they were 10-0. Nevertheless, they couldn’t seize the opportunities and were shut down.

The Jaguars’ offense had their worst performance of the 2021 season.

The Jaguars made the Titans’ defense look like the 85′ Chicago Bears. They couldn’t get anything going on offense and whenever it looked like they had the slightest momentum, they would either commit a penalty or throw an interception.

Trevor Lawrence had his worst day as a pro, throwing four interceptions. In the season opener, he threw three but he at least had the same number of touchdowns to even things out. This time though, he was forced into making mistakes by the Titans’ defensive line.

Lawrence deserves blame for the Jaguars’ inability to score but so does the offensive line. In particular, left guard Andrew Norwell had a rough outing, committing three holding penalties. The ground game was also inexistent against the Titans. Running back James Robison led the team in carries but doesn’t say much when the Jags ran the ball eight times.

The Jaguars have now lost five straight games, and it doesn’t look like things will improve any time soon. ESPN reported the organization plans to keep Urban Meyer in spite of the lack of wins and all the dysfunction that’s brewing in the building. Owner Shad Khan must consider revisiting the decision and clean house next offseason. It’s clear the team is in need of significant changes.