Jaguars porous defense and mental errors leads to collapse vs. Lions

Drops & miscues ultimately doomed the Jaguars in Week 13

In Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions (5-7), you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish this Jaguars team from their 2020-2021 counterparts. One thing that stood out was the amount of passes the receivers dropped in crucial moments.

Tight end Evan Engram failed to reel in two catchable balls. Wide receiver Jamaal Agnew dropped a pass late in the game when the ball hit both of his hands and the defender was giving him space to operate. Even wide receiver Zay Jones, who is known for his reliability, dropped three passes.

Having one dropped pass in a game is bad enough for an NFL receiver, but to have two or even three is downright infuriating for an offensive coach and fans alike. In Jones’ case, however, he may have been affected by a chest injury he’d been dealing with prior to Sunday’s action.

A fumble by running back Travis Etienne on their first drive was especially deflating for the Jaguars’ offense. The drive had all the makings of an electric, momentum-creating touchdown march. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence connected with wide receiver Christian Kirk early in the drive for 39 yards to get the Jaguars rolling in a big way.

Etienne was carving out huge chunks of yardage before coughing it up to the Lions and former Florida Gators linebacker Alex Anzalone. In a way, that first drive was a perfect foreshadowing of what the Jaguars would go on to do for the remainder of the game.