The Jaguars 1-1 with fresh wounds. The first loss of Liam Coen’s head coaching was ugly, disappointing, and far too familiar — Jake Browning beat the Jags for the second time in 650 days.
Next up is a 0-2 Texans squad that will surely put up a fight in the divisional bout.
As Week 3 approaches, we rounded up the latest NFL power rankings to get a sense of how the Jaguars are viewed nationally.
CBS Sports: 19 (last week: 15)
Losing to the Bengals the way they did will sting for a while. They had no business losing
that game against a backup quarterback. They have to get Brian Thomas Jr. out of his funk.
USA Today: 19 (18)
The second week of the grand Travis Hunter Experiment included three catches and a killer pass interference infraction on defense that sustained Cincinnati’s game-winning drive. Not trying to pick on the rookie, but other teams clearly will in the time being.
The Athletic: 19 (19)
From Josh Kendall and Chad Graff:
Maybe this is going too far, especially after a loss, but we are here today to overreact. While Johnson has yet to get the Bears going, Coen’s new team leads the league in rushing EPA (0.17 per carry), and Travis Etienne leads the league with 214 rushing yards. This is the same player who had 558 rushing yards in 15 games last season. Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr. don’t seem to be getting along, but this team can run the ball.
Yahoo Sports: 22 (15)
Trevor Lawrence’s awful interception in the end zone was something a rookie in his first game shouldn’t do. Head coach Liam Coen already seems frustrated with Lawrence’s inaccuracy. Sunday was a really bad loss, and not just because the Jaguars couldn’t close out the Joe Burrow-less Bengals.
NFL.com: 23 (22)
Trevor Lawrence wasn’t perfect Sunday, missing some throws, but he battled all game, even with two interceptions. Liam Coen’s reaction to one Lawrence overthrow late in the game (and Lawrence waving Coen off) caught some social media fire, but both men tried to downplay it Monday morning. Coen’s decision to go for it, up three deep in Cincinnati territory, can be questioned, but I think he made the right call. Brian Thomas Jr., however, has been disappointing through two games, dropping Lawrence’s fourth-down pass and now has only five receptions this season on 19 targets. Coen said Monday that Thomas was dealing with a wrist injury, which might explain why he didn’t come down with plays he typically makes. Thomas and Lawrence still have work to do, ironing out their connection, as Coen and Lawrence might, as well. Both relationships are crucial to the team’s success, and the Jags suddenly have some issues after letting a 2-0 record slip through their fingers Sunday.
ESPN: 23 (22)
Lawrence has been far from perfect — he’s completing only 58.9% of his passes and has thrown three interceptions this season. But Coen has said after each game that Lawrence has run the offense efficiently, changed plays correctly when needed and made throws into tight windows. He has also been hurt by a league-high five drops from his receiving corps. Coen wants to see more consistency from his starting QB, but he also said, “We can win with [Lawrence] playing like that.”
Bleacher Report: 23 (23)
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers looks like a total mirage—or, merely a referendum on the Panthers—after Sunday’s meltdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It doesn’t look like we’re going to see a quick turnaround in Jacksonville.
Playoff-caliber teams don’t knock Joe Burrow out of the game, watch backup Jake Browning throw a trio of interceptions and lose. This wasn’t just a failure by Jacksonville’s defense either.
Trevor Lawrence continues to play below expectations, and Liam Coen didn’t seem thrilled with his quarterback’s performance in Cincinnati. If the Jags can’t lead with their offense, they’re going to have a hard time even contending in their own division.
Sports Illustrated: 24 (16)
It’s hard for me to not make a big deal out of plays that Tavis Hunter looks misaligned, or Brian Thomas Jr. looks like he’s not running into contact, or Trevor Lawrence looks like he doesn’t care what his head coach is telling him on the sidelines. While no one is expecting a finished product, this would be the story in the NFL in terms of social-emotional matters had we not already seen a Dolphins players-only team meeting.
The Ringer: 24 (21)
If you came away from Sunday’s loss frustrated with receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and his lack of production in key situations, I can’t blame you. His drop on fourth-and-5 gave the Bengals an opportunity to take the lead, and it seemed like Thomas was uninterested in trying to make any contested catch over the middle. But there are two sides to the coin, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence was erratic as a passer, especially when he was pressured or flushed out of the pocket. Head coach Liam Coen’s job isn’t just to build an effective offensive system (on that front, it’s so far, so good) but he needs to hold Lawrence accountable after performances that belie his talent level.
Pro Football Talk: 24 (25)
Liam Coen is already learning how to act like a seasoned coach — blame the media for noticing the dysfunction coming from his own team.
Where would you rank the team, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!
