Jaguars let game vs. Eagles slip through their hands after early lead

After winning to games in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars came crashing down against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. Although they were leading 14-0 at one point of the game, they went on to allow 29 points and lost 29-21.

Early in the game, the Jags’ defense set the tone. Sophomore safety Andre Cisco returned an interception for a touchdown and the Eagles punted on their next next two posessions. Meanwhile, the Jags extended the lead when Trevor Lawrence connected with return specialist/wide receiver Jamal Agnew. But that’s where the good stopped, at least until the fourth quarter, when Lawrence found Agnew once again.

Speaking of Lawrence, he had a game to forget. The former Clemson Tiger had just one interception this season and threw another near the Eagles’ end zone. He costs the Jags seven points and his turnover led to a Philly’s field goal. To make matters worse, he fumbled fourt times and the Eagles recovered every one of them.

The last one came with the game on the line. Down 29-21, the Jags had a slight chance to mount a comeback with 1:54 left in the fourth quarter, Haason Reddick put the final nail in the coffin when sacked Lawrence and forced a fumble that gave the Eagles the ball back.

Philly didn’t break down even though they were trailing by 14 points. Instead they fought back and slowly took over the game. With rain being a factor throughout the game, the Eagles decided that the best course of action was to run the ball, so they leaned on Miles Sanders heavily. The former Penn State Nittany Lion finished the game with 27 carries for 134 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Turnovers were the biggest reasons the Jaguars lost to the Eagles

Not having wide receiver Zay Jones certainly hurt the Jaguars but he’s not the reason they lost. In fact, Jamal Agnew proved to be a more than adequate replacent. Instead, a lack of execution, five turnovers on offense and a questionable game plan were responsible for their downfall.

It’s easy to criticize a head coach’s decission-making from the outside looking in but it’s fair to wonder why Doug Pederson didn’t lean on James Robinson and Travis Etienne more. The weather conditions made it difficult to throw the ball. Yet, Trevor Lawrence attempted 23 passes while the Jags ran the ball just 18 times. On the other hand, the Eagles fed Miles Sanders the ball and the formula worked.

As stated earlier, the defense did a good job at first but they then gave up several big plays and couldn’t contain Jalen Hurts. They ended up giving up 401 yards. Of course, the offense didn’t help much and put the burden on them. Still, Jacksonville surrendered 29 points after giving up a combined 10 in the last two weeks.

The Jaguars have improved this season but their loss to the Eagles show there’s still plenty of work left to do. They must take it in stride, regroup and prepare to welcome the Houston Texans at TIAA Bank Field in Week 5.