3 discouraging stats that explain the Jaguars' Week 2 loss to the Browns

Two games into the 2024 NFL season, it's too early to press the panic button. That said, the Jacksonville Jaguars should be concerned about how things have played out. Fans aren't certainly pleased. Not one bit, and rightly so.

After all, this is a Jags team that spent the offseason making significant changes to the coaching and the roster. Yet, they have nothing to show for it. Heck, you could even make the case that they're not much better than their 2023 counterpart.

The loss to the Miami Dolphins was discouring but the one against the Cleveland Browns hurt even more because they had a favorable chance to win the game but let it slip out of their hands. Looking back, these are three things that hurt Jacksonville in the 18-13 loss in Week 2.

The Jaguars racked up lots of pressures vs. the Browns but not enough passes

Most defensive coordinators will tell you that sacks aren't nearly as important as pressuring the quarterback. The truth lies in between. If you bring the heat and force a quarterback into getting rid of the football faster or making mistakes, the pressure is successful. But what if he manages to complete his pass in spite of the pressure the pressure? It then becomes moot.

On the other hand, not every sack is the same. Some take place on early downs while others can effectively kill drives. In the Jaguars' case, they totaled a jaw-dropping 26 total pressures but only two sacks. When you consider that Deshaun Watson had no trouble finding his receivers, the pressures don't account for much.

Having said that, Josh Hines-Allen deserves a bit of credit for posting seven total pressures, logging a sack, and forcing a holding penalty late in the game. To nobody's surprise, his Pro Football Focus overall grade of 92.1 was the highest among Jaguars defenders in Week 2.

The O-Line couldn't open holes for Travis Etienne

Credit where credit is due. Travis Etienne deserves praise for bouncing back after a dreadful outing in the season opener. Against the Cleveland Browns, he toted the rock 13 times for 52 yards with one touchdown. Fellow running back D'Ernest Johnson contributed with an extra 26 rushing yards on five carries.

What makes Etienne's performance in Week 2 even more surprising is that he consistently had to earn every single yard he gained.

As John Shipley of Sports Illustrated noted, the Jags ranked No. 28 in rushing yards before contact per carry at just 0.90. On the other hand, their 4.52 yards per carry after contact lead the league.

Imagine how much better Etienne's numbers would look if he didn't have defenders in his face before he crossed the line of scrimmage.

The Jaguars struggled in the red zone vs. the Browns

The Jaguars had nine drives in Week 2 but they crossed the goal line in just three of them. To add insult to injury, they were pushed out of the red zone in one of them and had to attempt a field goal. It wasn't good. That took place in the third quarter.

Leaving that drive aside, the Jags reached the Clevand two more times. In the first one, they got all the way to the Browns' two-yard line in the second quarter. You would think that they had a strong chance to score a touchdown but they instead lost two yards and would have to eventually settle for a field goal to make it 10-3.

Later in the third quarter, Jacksonville got to the Cleveland 6-yard line when Trevor Lawrence found Brian Thomas Jr. for a 66-yard gain. Two plays later, Travis Etienne muscled his way into the end zone.

Still, it's discouraging that the Jags had ample chances to reach the goal line and had to settle for two field goals, one of which failed.

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