The Jacksonville Jaguars have had some studs during the 2021 season but they saved their best for Week 14, when the Tennessee Titans kept them away from the goal line for 60 minutes. It sounds cliché but there’s nothing they can do but get back to work and try to avoid losing yet another game.
Head coach Urban Meyer told the media after the loss to the Los Angeles Rams that they would see the last five games of the week as a five-week season. If that’s the case, there are only four games left in the schedule and their chances to win another game are getting smaller, literally by the week.
The Jags will need to take a look back at their loss to the Titans in order to avoid repeating the same kind of mistakes. Here are three mistakes that explain why they couldn’t score a single game in Week 14.
1. The Jaguars couldn’t get the running game going against the Titans.
After two weeks of getting a limited role on the Jaguars’ offense, it looked like running back James Robinson would get a bounce-back kind of game against the Titans. After all, the former Illinois State product ran the ball 18 times for 149 yards and a touchdown in their first meeting earlier this season. But it wasn’t meant to be and he finished the game with just four yards on six carries.
The Jags had the same number of turnovers in the game as Robinson had yards and that’s something that should be a cause for concern. Why did the coaching staff abandon the run so early in the game? The sophomore running back had three carries in the first half and the other three in the second. While the NFL is a passing league you can’t neglect the rushing attack and that’s precisely what the Jags did in one of their most embarrassing loss in recent years.
2. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions in Week 14.
The Jaguars played a good first half against the Titans. Even though they were trailing 10-0 at halftime, they had a realistic chance to get back in the game and make things competitive. Early in the third quarter, Trevor Lawrence was 12-of-14, stat via Jordan De Lugo of Generation Jaguar, and hadn’t thrown an interception yet. But then, he threw the first one and he finished the ball with four.
You could make the case Lawrence was trying to give the Jags’ a spark and make something happen but things snowballed after the first interception. The fact that the team forgot they could run the ball didn’t help matters and the rookie passer deserves to be held accountable for the mistakes but you will have a hard time finding a first-year signal-caller that would have thrived under the same circumstances.
Lawrence did have a few good throws. Two plays before his first interception he connected with wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. for a 14-yard completion. Moreover, the aforementioned interception was the result of Lavisa Shenault Jr. not being able to come down with the catch. Titans cornerback Elijah Molden also deserves credit for playing the ball well but that was the kind of reception Viska has to make.
Lawrence, just like any other rookie, is experiencing a learning curve, and performances like the one against the Titans were to be expected.
3. The defense spent too much time on the field against the Titans.
All things considered, the Jaguars’ defense played relatively well in Week 14 despite the fact that they were on the field for almost 37 minutes. They allowed 20 points, their lowest mark since their Week 9 win over the Bills, when they gave up just six. The front four constantly rattled quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the unit finished the game with four sacks, seven hits, and 21 total pressures. That’s the kind of performance that’s going to get an opposing offense off balance.
The Jags’ defense couldn’t come away with a turnover but asking them to do so when the offense fail to score a single point may be too much to ask. Cornerback Shaquill Griffin told the local media after the game that his side of the ball is only focused on what they do, not what the other one does. Nevertheless, nobody would blame him or his defensive teammates if they felt a bit frustrated after having a solid performance only to be let down by the defense.
On the bright side, the Jaguars will next face off against a Texans team that isn’t doing playing much better. Their offense is in the cellar of the league when it comes to points scored and it ranks 30th in points surrendered. Beating them would be a great morale booster for a Jacksonville team that’s dealt with a lot of noise over the last couple of weeks.