3 major issues that could hold the Jacksonville Jaguars back the rest of the season

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 8-5 and hold a favorable chance of qualifying for the postseason. While seizing the No. 1 seed in the AFC now seems highly unlikely, this is still the same Jags team that was expected to continue to make strides one year after finishing 9-7 and winning the division for the first time since 2017.

It seems like the Jaguars haven't improved as much as they were expected but the truth is that they underwent a huge turnaround last year, so their progress was more notable coming off an underwhelming 2021 campaign. This season though, they're one win away from tying their 2022 win total with four games to go. Three of their remaining opponents have a losing record, so they should be able to achieve a better record in 2023.

That said, there are a few issues that have popped up in their two latest losses. If they don't fix them, they could either finish the season on a low note or be one-and-done in the playoffs. Here are three of those aforementioned issues.

3. Missing tackles, giving up big plays

Allowing big plays isn't the end of the world, as long as you can prevent opponents from reaching the end zone, or in the worst-case scenario, limit them to field goals. The trouble is that most of the big plays the Jags have surrendered the past two weeks have led to touchdowns. Against the Bengals, they gave up a 76-yard touchdown reception to wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

It's hard to tell from an outside perspective what kind of play defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell dialed up, but maybe Campbell could've benefited from help on the back end. Instead, he was left on his own.

Things weren't much better against the Browns. Besides letting Joe Flacco become the first Browns signal-caller to throw for 300 yards or more since Tyrod Taylor in November 2022, they routinely gave up big plays including touchdowns of 34 and 30 yards to tight end David Njoku. Wide receiver David Bell had another one of 34 yards.

Tackling has been another issue, the Jags missed 13 tackles against the Bengals and 12 in the loss Cleveland. Add their inability to create turnovers in recent weeks, and it's easy to see why the Jaguars' defense ranks 20th in points allowed after making the top 10 just before their BYE.

2. Not being able to overcome Christian Kirk's absence

Christian Kirk became the Jaguars' No. 1 receiver last year, hauling in 84 receptions for 1,108 yards with eight touchdowns. Despite the arrival of Calvin Ridley via trade, Kirk was poised to once again lead the team in receiving yards in 2023. Unfortunately, he suffered a core injury on the first play of the Jaguars' first possession in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and is expected to miss considerable time after undergoing core surgery.

While rookie Parker Washington has stepped in Kirk's place, the offense severely missed the veteran wideout in the loss to the Cleveland Browns. Tight end Evan Engram picked up the slack, hauling in 12 receptions for 91 yards with two touchdowns but Trevor Lawrence was 5-of-14 for 39 yards with two interceptions when targeting Zay Jones and Calvin Ridley.

That's not acceptable. Both Jones and Ridley are too talented to produce such an underwhelming statline. Granted, Lawrence overthrew them a handful of times but they also had drops, not to mention the communications issues that led to one of the three picks of the day.

Some of the less-than-stellar production falls on individual effort, but the coaching staff must also adjust to Kirk's absence, something they failed to do in Week 14.

Something similar happened when Jones missed games with a knee injury earlier this year. Without him, the offensive game plan seemed unimaginative and rarely took shots downfield despite the fact that they had Ridley, and Kirk in the fold.

The passing game got back on track when Jones returned but his absence revealed that the coaching staff wasn't able to adjust to the personnel they had. Maybe they could've used more two tight end sets, or given the rookies — Parker, and Elijah Cooks — more playing time. There's no guarantee it would've worked but they should not be afraid of mixing things up. They have no choice with Kirk expected to miss four to six weeks.

1. Pass protection issues, keeping Trevor Lawrence healthy

The Jaguars' offensive line has gotten the spotlight this season and not for good reasons. On one hand, they've struggled to open lanes in the running games, which has forced Travis Etienne to create years on his own. On the other hand, the group failed to give Trevor Lawrence good protection and enough time to throw.

Things got a bit better after Cam Robinson returned from the suspension he served to start the season, with the duo of Walker Little and Ezra Cleveland taking turns to provide stability at left guard. However, injuries have taken their toll up front. Robinson is on Injured Reserve with a knee injury. While the Jags have a more than adequate replacement in Little, they were down to Blake Hance in the loss to the Browns because he didn't suit up, and Cleveland, who was filling in for him, left the game.

Hance ended up giving up a staggering eight pressures. Then again, it shouldn't be held against him when you take into account that he was their only option left after Cleveland went down. Yikes! Rookie Anton Harrison, for his part, has shown progress at right tackle, along with the ups and downs that come with getting acclimated to the NFL while switching sides.

But the Jaguars' biggest issues up front may be on the interior offensive line. Besides the revolving door at left guard, center Luke Fortner hasn't made the leap the Jaguars expected in Year 2. Similarly, Brandon Scherff has been good but his play isn't proportional to the $49 million contract he signed last year.

Moving forward, it's hard to see the Jaguars fixing their running woes but they need to overcome injuries and find the best possible combination in the trenches to ensure Trevor Lawrence doesn't aggravate his ankle sprain and has enough time to throw.

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