Jan. 15, 2023.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have simply gained a momentous playoff sport, getting back from down 27-0 to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers. Voice gone, coronary heart full, telephone battery useless, I walked from the stadium again to my resort to write down my story from the sport. In my story, one phrase actually stood out:
“There was a small, shared perception within the stadium that if the Chargers fucked round, they might discover out. And boy did they discover out.”
Quick ahead to Jan. 7, 2024, and one factor is true: Somebody fucked round and came upon. This time, it was the Jaguars, who misplaced to the Tennessee Titans, 28-20, to knock themselves out of the playoffs.
The Jaguars had been 8-3 in October, a sport away from the No. 1 seed within the AFC. 8-3! Now, they’re sitting at house watching a rookie QB and a rookie head coach characterize the division they had been purported to have locked down for the subsequent decade.
The second half of the season was an organizational and training failure any approach you need to slice it. Shedding 5 of your final six is a catastrophe by everybody concerned, however while you study the losses, they’re all the identical.
The protection, which was one of many Jaguars’ stronger factors within the first half of the season, fails at easy issues like tackling. Miscommunication within the secondary results in protection busts and broad open touchdowns. Offensive line points sink a staff that may’t run the ball and power every thing on the arm of their third-year QB, who had points with fumbles. Oh yeah, and that QB additionally handled a excessive ankle sprain, shoulder harm, and concussion that every one lingered in the course of the dropping streak. Good occasions!
Essentially the most damning a part of that is that the Jaguars believed they may run it again. In final yr’s low season, Jacksonville didn’t make many substantial adjustments. Changing Jawaan Taylor with rookie Anton Harrison on the offensive line and bringing in Calvin Ridley had been each high-quality, however nothing drastically modified a couple of staff that went 9-8 final yr. The hope was that the younger expertise continues to ascend with correct improvement and training.
The outcome? 9-8 as soon as once more.
This failure of a season is on GM Trent Baalke, head coach Doug Pederson and the playcalling of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ braintrust. It’s one factor to break down and have each loss convey one thing totally different. Each loss hit the identical notes, displaying no indicators of development or precise change. The offensive line struggles that began to start with of the season reared their ugly head once more within the Week 18 finale. A rollout move on Third-and-goal to the third-string TE is a play that exhibits you’re terrified of the road in entrance of you to dam correctly, and the Jaguars had been petrified of all of it season. Per FTN Fantasy, the Jaguars completed thirty first in Adjusted Line Yards offensively, and you can really feel that when the Jaguars performed. They completed with the very best proportion of runs stuffed, each massive run seemingly adopted by a lack of 3. This offensive line was the identical one which Jacksonville had final yr, and opting to marginally repair it took them from twenty ninth in 2022 … to thirty first.
You now enter this offseason in what seems like essentially the most pivotal second for the franchise since I’ve been alive. You not have the leisure to take a seat again and do half-measures within the division. The Texans are a professional risk and the Colts had been proper there with out their rookie QB. One thing has to vary concerning the make-up of this staff, whether or not or not it’s within the entrance workplace, teaching employees or personnel. Going into the fourth yr with Trevor Lawrence at QB, the entrance workplace has to present their younger star a greater line to work with.
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
Let’s discuss Lawrence, lets? The much-ballyhooed QB goes to be raked over the coals this offseason, and it’s no one’s fault however the Jaguars. Personally, I’m nonetheless of the assumption that he’s excellent, however he needs to be excellent for the Jaguars offense to outlive. Lawrence has been adequate to get the Jaguars to the brink of being a critical soccer staff, making up for main deficiencies at playcaller and alongside the offensive line along with his play.
Nevertheless, forcing a QB to do all of it himself stretches them skinny and turns their weaknesses into evident holes. For Lawrence, the ball placement will be shaky at occasions and the fumbles are a bizarre and unhealthy drawback. These issues turn into exacerbated when the offense can’t survive with out Lawrence being excellent.
This collapse down the stretch ought to be a get up name to proprietor Shad Khan and the remainder of the Jaguars braintrust. One thing vital has to vary, or Jacksonville will likely be caught in 9-8 land endlessly.
