The Turnover Column Week 3 to 4: Jaguars looking to bounce back vs. Falcons in London

"If the Jaguars somehow do lose to the Texans... Whoo Doggy. It's gonna be ugly 'round these parts next week."

Wooh Doggy. That was terrible. As forewarned in the Turnover Column last week, the fallout from losing to an injured, undermanned Texans team was toxic. Instead of capitalizing on an opportunity to get right against Houston, the Jacksonville Jaguars found themselves beaten in all three phases of the game.

And the futility of the team was noticed by everyone. Every member of the media, every talking head, every fan, and even the head coach was candid and harsh in their evaluation of the Jaguars' performance. No one held back, and the players heard it all.

Getting booed at home is a bad sign, but the fans who were in the sweltering stadium had every right given the pathetic effort put forth by the Jags. The team is capable of much better, and the fans know it. They've seen it, and so has their head coach, as noted by the entire media when he offered this response to a question from Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union:

The Texans continue to have the Jaguars' number at home

Going into the season, the Jaguars were considered a strong playoff contender, and the Texans were considered a young team with a long row to hoe. With such a deflating loss, the Jaguars have been scrutinized this week in every way possible. One shocking statistic emerged, and it wasn't pretty:

The Main Takeaway From the Jaguars Loss To The Texans

Everyone can see what is happening on the field with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's no secret, and in a sort of odd display of solidarity, it's difficult to find any dissenting voice from those critical of the team. Even the players themselves have publicly stated the obvious:

"I’m going to hold the wideouts, tight ends, the running backs, the O-Line accountable, as well... they’re not doing the best in their job. No one can get their feelings hurt. We don’t have guys that do, but we all have to have that accountability."

- Trevor Lawrence

It would take far too long to regurgitate the infinite observations about the team this week. Suffice to say the pass rush is horrible, the vaunted receiving corps is drastically underachieving, and the offensive line continues to play poorly giving Trevor Lawrence nearly the least amount of time to throw in the league.

Just about the only Jaguar player matching or exceeding expectations is the incredulous and boo-weary Travis Etienne. The main takeaway from the Jaguars' loss to the Texans is that they looked like a complete failure, and everyone can see it.

Turning toward the Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are not a bad football team. In fact, they're first in their division at 2-1. Given the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars were just blasted by the Houston Texans, the Falcons are surely no pushover.

Surprisingly, the Jaguars remain the favorite to win the game according to betting lines. This is likely thanks to an underwhelming offense so far this season ranking the Falcons 23rd in points per game (the Jaguars are currently 21st).

They feature a strong rushing attack led by rookie Bijan Robinson. And therein may lie the Jaguars' reason for hope. The Jags have been decent against the run so far this season, ranked seventh in rushing yards allowed per game. It is often said football is a game of matchups, and perhaps this particular set of strengths favors the Jaguars. Additionally, the Falcons passing attack is 29th in yards per game.

The Jaguars are also "going home" to London, where they theoretically have an advantage due to playing there annually. The opportunity to get out of town was noted as a positive by Doug Pederson, seeming to imply an opportunity for the team to reset their focus and tune out the cacophony of criticism descending upon them this week.

Those are all hopeful signs. But, one major red flag is the Jags' passing attack against the Falcons' passing defense. The Jaguars currently rank a respectable ninth in passing yards per game in spite of the litany of mostly self-inflicted problems they've faced.

But, the Falcons are currently ranked fourth in the league in passing yards allowed. Is some of that lofty defensive ranking due to having played the Carolina Panthers in Week 1? Probably. But, the Falcons' passing defense could still be a tall mountain to climb for Trevor Lawrence and company, who are certain to be looking to redeem themselves.

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