The Jacksonville Jaguars are 4-1 ahead of Week 6 and have won three in a row despite the fact that an alarming issue has emerged in recent weeks.
Before Week 4, the Jags were one of the most disciplined teams in the NFL, registering a combined 16 penalties the first three games of the season. However, their amount of accepted penalties has skyrocketed the past two weeks.
If the Jaguars want to keep winning games the rest of the year, they'll need to cut down on the penalties. Their London game against the Houston Texans will provide a perfect opportunity.
Liam Coen needs to help the Jaguars cut down on the penalties
The Jaguars have been flagged 13 times each of their past two games and would probably be under greater scrutiny if they hadn't won both contests. Nevertheless, head coach Liam Coen recognized that it's an issue, and it starts with him.
"Yeah, that was probably one of the louder atmospheres I've been in in a while, especially in those critical moments, to where, 'Hey guys, I can help you out with my playcall,' maybe shortening it up, trim the verbiage, or call something a little bit more simplified down there where it was in that end zone specifically that got loud, in some of those critical downs," Coen told reporters (14:33 mark). So I showed the players and coaches a ton of clips of the TV copy, different versions of it to show them."
Coen continued, "Look, we broke the huddle with eight seconds. That's not giving you a chance. That's not giving you guys the best chance to go succeed, and that's directly on me. And so I think the accountability piece helps. When we can all be accountable to each other and understand where we can be better. But I have full confidence that our guys will go and execute, and the delayed game stuff hasn't been an issue."
Penalties prevented the Jags from putting points on the scoreboard in Week 6. At one point in the fourth quarter, Trevor Lawrence showed his frustration with center Robert Hainsey because penalties prevented Jacksonville from scoring.
Down 14-10, the Jags got to the Eagles' 1-yard line but delay of game and holding penalties sent them back to the 14-yard line. They ended up turning the ball over on downs.
Jacksonville will need to put an emphasis on execution and fundamentals if they don't want penalties to decide the outcome of the game against Houston.
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The Jaguars and Texans will be under scrutiny in Week 6
Something to keep an eye on in Week 6 is that the Jaguars will get Shawn Hochuli and his crew to call the game. This is noteworthy because, as Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union pointed out, they've called 15, 10, 15, 10, and 16 penalties this season. This means that Jacksonville and the Texans will be under the microscope.
On top of that, the Jags are dealing with injuries and could be without a handful of key players, including cornerback Montaric Brown and safety Eric Murray, in Week 6. Sure, Houston is 1-4 but will be motivated to get back into the AFC South race.
By limiting the amount of penalties in Week 6, the Jaguars will prevent that from happening.
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