Jacksonville Jaguars pull no punches in Week 4: 5 winners, 2 losers vs. Falcons

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Houston Texans in Week 3 because they struggled in all three phases of the game. The opposite was true in their 23-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4. The Jags got plays from the offense, the defense, and their special teams.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the Jaguars were in dire need of a win. They got it and are back to .500. With that in mind, here are five winners and two losers from the London game.

No. 5 Jaguars winner vs. the Falcons in Week 4: Brandon McManus

The Jaguars dumped kicker Riley Patterson in favor of Brandon McManus because he had the ability to consistently nail field goals of 50+ yards. McManus got off to a good start in his stint in Jacksonville, making his first four attempts of the season. But then, he missed two against the Houston Texans,

Although McManus wasn't the lone reason Jacksonville lost to the Texans, he certainly played a role. Imagine getting to Texans territory and counting on your kicker to make plays only to be let down. Heading into Week 4, it was fair to wonder if he was going to be able to bounce back and he responded by nailing all of his three attempts, including one from 56 yards.

One of the biggest concerns surrounding McManus before the start of the season was that he was coming off a down year. So far, he's proven that he's still have lots of gas left in the tank and his leg is as reliable as it was when he was a member of the Denver Broncos.

No. 4 Jaguars winner vs. the Falcons in Week 4: Christian Kirk, WR

It was great to see wide receiver Calvin Ridley score a touchdown against his former team. His 30-yard reception in the second drive of the game gave the Jaguars their first seven points of the game. that said, you could make a strong case that Christian Kirk had a bigger impact in Week 4.

After registering just one reception for nine yards in the opener, Kirk has been significantly more involved on the offense in recent weeks. Back in Week 2, he had 11 receptions for 110 yards. Against Atlanta, he caught eight receptions for 84 yards. He could've had an even better outing if Trevor Lawrence hadn't been flushed out of the pocket and missed him in the Falcons' red zone.

Kirk, for his part, believes beating the Falcons was a step in the right direction but thinks that there are a few things the offense can do better moving forward:

"You kind of felt that we were gonna get back on track of where we needed to be, and just go out there and be ourselves," Kirk told the media after the game. "And I thought we did that. But I still think we have a long way to go to be a really good offense. There are still some mistakes and some things that we didn't do as well today, but we're able to make enough plays to go out there and get enough points to get a win," Kirk said.

No. 3 Jaguars winner vs. the Falcons: Darious Williams, CB

The Jaguars intercepted Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder twice and one of them was returned for a touchdown. Make no mistake, both were important but the pick 6 had a bigger impact for a couple reasons.

For starters, it helped the Jags make it 17-0 but more importantly, it was cornerback Darious Williams' first interception donning the Black and Teal. Although he led the team in passes defensed with 16 last season, he didn't register a single interception.

After the game, Williams met with the local media and credited the interception on watching tape during the week:

"We knew they're a good, quick game team," Willaims said. "We're in main coverage pretty much, so I got my look. I saw Tre Herndon go out, he kind of slowed him down for me and I just jumped in."

No. 2 Jaguars winner vs. the Falcons: Trevor Lawrence, QB

Trevor Lawrence has played well this season but he hasn't gotten much help from his supporting cast. That changed against the Falcons and he responded with an efficient outing. He went 23-of-30 for 207 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

While those numbers don't pop off the statsheet, they show Lawrence wasn't the reason the Jags lost two consecutive games. It's also worth noting that the offensive line once again wasn't able to give him good protection throughout most of the game but he still managed to play a solid game.

Lawrence met with the media after the game and said that the offense was much better but still has room for improvement.

"Offensively, I thought we played well at times and in spurts and found a way to win. We did did some things better than we have in the past but still got a lot to clean up. But it's a lot easier to coach off of a win obviously," Lawrence said.

No. 1 Jaguars winner vs. the Falcons: Josh Allen, OLB

The Jaguars couldn't get to quarterback C.J. Stroud even once in Week 3. If they were going to beat the Falcons, they were going to need a much better performance from their pass rush. They got it.

In particular, outside linebacker Josh Allen was unstoppable, registering three sacks. One of them came near the end of the game and sealed the win for Jacksonville. After the game, he told the media that he's ready to help the Jaguars win games.

"This is a strictly business and you know I'm about my business, and I'm ready to win games. I want to be the guy for the defense that we can count on. Last week where I could have made a little bit more plays. So I felt like I personally let the team down, so this week was just get back on track," Allen said.

No. 2 Jaguars loser vs. the Falcons: Tre Herndon, CB

The Jags re-signed Tre Herndon in the offseason because he offers lots of flexibility and ample experience. Even though he can line up in the perimeter, he's currently the team's primary nickel corner and that won't probably change until sophomore Gregory Junior returns from the Injured Reserve.

While Herndon is a fine player, he showed his limitations against the Falcons. He gave up the only touchdown the Falcons scored and he would've allowed another had wide receiver Drake London not been out of bounds in the fourth quarter.

At this point of his career, Herndon might be better suited for a reserve role. It will be interesting if the Jaguars send him to the bench once Junior is healthy.

No. 1 Jaguars loser vs. the Falcons: Parker Washington, WR

Parker Washington had been a healthy scratch this season but injuries to Zay Jones and Jamal Agnew paved the way for him to make his NFL debut in Week 4. In the end, wasn't targeted a single time and left the game when he suffered a knee injury.

Appearing in his first NFL game was an important milestone for Washington but he still has a long way to go before he can make an impact. The former Penn State Nittany Lion got lots of praise from the coaching staff in training camp but once the regular season started, he disappeared.

It's true that the Jaguars are stacked at wide receiver but if they thought Washington could make plays, they would give him more playing time. So far, that hasn't been the case.

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