Jaguars get poor grade for embarrasing outing vs. Lions in Week 13

The Jaguars proved they can go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the NFL when they upset the Baltimore Ravens. Conversely, they showed how poor they can play in their embarrassing 40-14 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 13. Not surprisingly, they earned a grade that reflects their underwhelming performance.

Jeff Breech of CBS Sports assigned grades to all NFL teams following Week 13 and gave the Jags a D. Breech points out that they couldn’t get anything going on offense but goes on to say that the defense was even worse.

"This game turned into a shootout, but someone forgot to tell the Jaguars that because their offense didn’t show up. The Jags fumbled on their opening drive and things didn’t get much better after that. Trevor Lawrence was erratic (17 of 31) in a game that he had to leave briefly after taking a huge hit in the first half. As bad as the Jags were on offense, their defense was worse. They were horrible in the red zone and they didn’t force the Lions to punt a single time in the game."

On the other hand, Detroit rightfully got an A+. After all, they came into the game with the worst defense in the league but they managed to hold the Jaguars to just one touchdown. Similarly, their offense is working at full gear and put on display the ability to put points on the scoreboard at will.

While it may be a bit too late for the Lions to make a playoff run, they’ve made strides in head coach Dan Campbell’s second year at the helm. Meanwhile, the Jaguars need to wonder what went wrong in Week 13 and what they need to do in the upcoming weeks to finish the season strong.

The Jaguars hit rock bottom when they lost to the Lions

The Jaguars have had a couple of dominant wins this season, against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12. But they’ve also proven to be highly inconsistent and prone to shoot themselves in the foot.

Against the Lions, Jacksonville couldn’t get anything going on offense. Trevor Lawrence was far from great but he wasn’t the reason they couldn’t move the ball, let alone score. Wide receiver Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram had dropped passes that could have helped the Jags move the chains. Running back Travis Etienne, who is usually reliable, lost the ball in just the second play of the game. Detroit wasted no time and scored the first points of the game following the turnover.

On defense, the Jags’ front seven wasn’t able to pressure Jared Goff and their secondary didn’t have success stopping Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark Jr., who had a combined 16 receptions for 212 yards with two touchdowns. Simply, the Lions showed up ready to play and proved to be too much for an inconsistent Jacksonville team.

The Jaguars had a chance to build on their win over the Ravens but instead showed they have plenty of work left before they can be taken seriously. Next on their schedule is a Tennessee Titans team that will desperately want to get back to the win column and solidify their spot at the top of the AFC South after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.