Heading into today’s match up against the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars had lost three straight games. Even though they are pretty far behind in the divisional standings, a win at home against an AFC South opponent would have been nice. The Jaguars are struggling right now but there is a lot of football left this season and if Gus Bradley isn’t feeling the heat yet, he will be soon. Here are three takeaways from the Jaguars 24-21 loss to the Texans.
Jacksonville Jaguars Week Ten Takeaways
The Jaguars Offense Is Still Sluggish
Nathaniel Hackett finished his second week at the helm as the new offensive coordinator for the Jaguars. It’s too early to tell if Hackett is the right man for the job, but this wasn’t a quick fix. Blake Bortles continues to struggle and it was painful to see a pick-six on the opening drive. Whether it’s confidence or mechanics (or both), Bortles still seems to be regressing.
There were a few bright spots on offense though. The second offensive drive for the Jaguars made it obvious that there had been a coaching change in the offense. There was a beautiful reverse play that went to Marqise Lee on a drive that saw Bortles throw to many receivers and that ended in a touchdown to Julius Thomas. The unfortunate part is that until the team can string together multiple drives of offensive success they will not be ready to claim dominance in the AFC South. There has to be less interceptions where the ball bounces off of a players foot and into the hands of a defender and more potency on offense.
The Jaguars Turnover Ratio Has to Improve
The Jaguars are at -12 in the turnover ratio this season. In case you were wondering, this isn’t golf and that stat is pretty bad. Blake Bortles was credited with only one interception on the day, but the team turned the ball over twice. The Texans did not turn the ball over at all today and that mostly falls on the defense but the special teams unit didn’t help either.
It’s hard enough to win if your offense is poor, but if you give the ball away more than the other team does, you’re going to have problems. Until the Jaguars can cut down on the turnovers or at least create some on defense/special teams they will forever be playing catch up in the second half.
The Defense Showed Grit But Was Absent on Third Down When It Counted
Despite the scoreboard, the Jaguars defense played well for most of the game. Out of the Texans 24 points, 14 were a result of an interception. One was a pick-six and the other interception brought the Texans inside the red zone where they scored on the next play. There are some young studs on the Jaguars defense and they will only get better with experience. Jalen Ramsey proved again today that he can cover some of the best receivers in the NFL. He effectively neutralized DeAndre Hopkins who only had five receptions for 48 yards. Of course Aaron Colvin had a sack today and that was great too.
But you can’t play well for only first and second downs and expect to win. The defense had a chance to stop the Texans and allow Bortles one last attempt at winning the game. When it was third and 16, Lamar Miller got the handoff and ran for the first down. The clock ended up running out without the Texans punting. You can’t blame the loss on the defense because of that play, but the outcome of the game may have been different with a stop there. Third down defense is a problem for the Jaguars but they will have a chance at redemption next week at the Detroit Lions.
