JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4JAGs had a suspicion that Sunday wouldn’t be a good one for the Jaguars. So much energy and excitement on “Monday Night Football.”
So many positive headlines. So many good vibes. So many the-arrow-is-pointing-up indicators.
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A colossal letdown like what fans saw was bound to happen
This was just plain ugly.
Seattle controlled the mistake-prone Jaguars most of the game and handed Jacksonville a 20-12 loss on a lethargic day at EverBank Field. The energy from the outset just felt different. The Jaguars just can’t seem to get out of their own way and play a consistent game.
The Seahawks dominated the Jaguars up front, sacking Trevor Lawrence a season-high seven times and causing the offense all kinds of issues. Seattle erased the ground game and watched as self-inflicted mistakes by the Jaguars took center stage again.
Penalties. More dropped passes.
A touchdown wiped out by a flag and more kicking woes.
After the energy from the win over the Chiefs on Monday night, it was tough to believe that this was the same Jacksonville team.
“When you walked into our building after the Kansas City game, it wasn’t like everybody was walking around like we were God’s gift to ball. It was a pretty frustrating, actually, week in some ways, in terms of like you’re so happy, obviously, you won,” said head coach Liam Coen.
“But it was that process over the results that ultimately bit us in the butt today, right?
The defense didn’t force a turnover for the first time this season, and the offense was just plain bad.
“We’ve got to look in the mirror and fix the problems that have really been there all year,” Lawrence said. “I feel like last week we did better with some of the penalties. It showed up again this week. We’ve got to clean it up and move forward.”
After Lawrence fired a 26-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick early in the fourth quarter to get Jacksonville within 20-12, the offense bottomed out for good. The Jaguars went three-and-out twice and then had to punt again on another drive where offensive lineman Chuma Edoga was flagged on back-to-back plays.
Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown and Hunter Long all dropped catchable balls in that forgettable final quarter.
At 4-2, the Jaguars head to London for Week 7 for a game against Coen’s old boss, Sean McVay and the Rams. It’s a far better start than most people expected, but the lethargic effort on Sunday is certainly a reality check for a team that still has issues putting complete performances together.
If the defense isn’t forcing takeaways at a breakneck pace, the offense just hasn’t been consistent enough to deliver.
“Every time we’d get a good play or get a drive started, I feel like we would set ourselves back with a penalty or something. Just little stuff,” Thomas said. “I feel like we had a good game plan. Some of the stuff we were doing was working. We’ve just got to quit beating ourselves.”
Offense looks bad
Center Robert Hainsey missed the game with a hamstring injury, but the remainder of the line was full of its normal starters.
Seattle’s rushing defense is one of the league’s best, and it showed. It held Jacksonville to just 59 yards rushing on 19 carriers, and it smothered running back Bhayshul Tuten on a two-point conversion try early in the fourth quarter that would have made it a 20-14 game. But the real damage came in what Seattle’s defense did to Lawrence.
Lawrence entered the game having been sacked just six times in five games this season. Seattle sacked Lawrence on the first play of the game. It added a sack on a third-and-9 play late in the first half, and Cam Little missed a 50-yard field goal the next play.
Lawrence was sacked on back-to-back plays midway through the third quarter. Jacksonville wound up having to punt on five of the six drives that Lawrence was sacked on.
“Maybe didn’t feel like he had enough time in some ways,” Coen said of Lawrence. “When you’re in a little bit of a drop-back game, you’re trying to throw screens to balance the rush. They played those well. So credit to them. They beat us up upfront.”
Thomas had his first receiving touchdown of the season, a 21-yarder in the opening quarter that put Jacksonville in front 6-0. He would have had a second touchdown grab, a 54-yarder off a deflection late in the third quarter, but Travis Hunter was flagged for being offsides.
“Today we had three or four big plays with a penalty, and it gets called back,” Lawrence said. “Yeah, it’s just the feeling of the momentum.”
Thomas had 90 yards on eight catches, but had a criticial dropped pass on a third down in the fourth quarter that led to a punt. The Jaguars were flagged 10 times for 76 yards, an issue that continues to plague the team.
“It’s on me. It’s an undisciplined operation at the moment, and it’s on me. It’s got to get fixed,” Coen said. “It’s a great opportunity this week to get it fixed, right? We’re going on the road. We’re flying to another country. Being together as a group, looking ourselves in the mirror and try to figure out from an operation and habit standpoint what is standing in our way. Because right now, it’s us.”
Tough start for Newsome
Jacksonville shipped out cornerback Tyson Campbell this week to the Browns for Greg Newsome II, a move to try and swap a player who was miscast in Anthony Campanile’s defense with one who should fit better.
Newsome crammed to learn enough of the defense to get out on the field against Seattle, but it wasn’t the best start. On the very first play that Newsome was on the field, Sam Darnold went right at him. Jaxon Smith-Njigba sailed right past Newsome and turned it into a 61-yard touchdown and a 10-6 lead that the Seahawks never relinquished.
Little’s struggles continue
Normally reliable kicker Little had a miserable Sunday against the Seahawks. After Jacksonville scored first on a touchdown pass from Lawrence to Thomas, Little trotted out for the PAT and missed it.
Little also pulled a 50-yard field goal wide right with 63 seconds left in the opening half on a kick that would have pulled Jacksonville within 10-9. That left Seattle in good enough field position to move down the field and convert a 53-yard field goal by ex-Jaguars kicker Jason Myers for a 13-6 lead at halftime.
After hitting his first nine field goals of the season, Little is just 3 for his last 6. The missed PAT was Little’s first of the season, and it proved huge. Down 20-12 early in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville opted to go for a two-point conversion after Lawrence hit Patrick on a 26-yard touchdown pass. Tuten was stopped on the play.
Coen said he still has faith in Little, despite the recent struggles.
“This was a different deal where we come out, we don’t really do much offensively early on. We score and miss an extra point,” Coen said. “So, it was like those deflating moments. I think that probably the theme of today was positive, then something negative would occur and kind of take the wind out of our sails.”