I officially give up on trying to figure this team out. In a good way.
Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars hit the ultimate rock bottom by giving up the franchise’s biggest blown lead to a bad division rival. How do they respond? By dogwalking the Los Angeles Chargers to the tune of a 35-6 blowout win, moving the Jags to 6-4 on the season.
The Jags are inconsistent, but Sunday showed just how good they can be when they play to their strengths. Both Liam Coen and Anthony Campanile looked like they heard
my weekly gripes about how the team looks unprepared and prepared the ever-living hell out of the Jags for Sunday’s beatdown. Basically, from the first Jaguar drive, the Chargers had no answers.
There quite literally was no better way to respond from a devastating loss than thumping a team you were previously looking up at in the Wild Card standings. Victory Monday feels oh so good, especially when it comes to handing the Chargers another devastating loss at EverBank Stadium.
WINNERS
Liam Coen
For the first time all season, the Jaguars scored offensive touchdowns in all four quarters. Talk about a way to respond by a rookie head coach.
If you read this series weekly, I have bemoaned the lack of preparation and the overall dysfunction of the Jags in the first year under Coen. On Sunday, the team was as prepared as ever.
The Jags committed just one penalty all day, resulting in just five yards for the Chargers. For a team that averages about 8.5 penalties per game, this was such a refreshing outing by both sides of the ball, especially considering there were backups playing all over the field.
Outside of the one bad pick by Trevor Lawrence and whatever that drive after the pick was, Coen called a masterful game and took advantage of the team’s strengths. Jacksonville can deploy a stable of running backs and did so against the Chargers, running the ball to the tune of a noisy 192 yards. Even Lawrence got in on the running action, notching a rushing score which put him third in the NFL in total quarterback rushing touchdowns.
Sunday’s game was the first such game since 2009, and the eighth in team history, where the Jags had four rushing scores. Coen saw his matchup and took advantage. With how well the Jags ran the ball and played offense overall, it should be noted that the team didn’t punt a single time.
I’ve said the Jags have bottomed out multiple times this season. Maybe it took really, truly bottoming out last week to get back to the basics and reinvigorate this team and its coaches.
Coen had maybe his best game as a head coach on Sunday. Good for him.
Anthony Campanile
Another coach who rose to the challenge mightily was first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.
This defense sucked in recent weeks. The turnovers weren’t coming and the sacks were coming even less. That all changed Sunday.
Jacksonville’s defense recorded three sacks – more on that below – and grabbed a pick. The team’s six total quarterback hits, and B.J. Green’s bodybagging of Justin Herbert, knocked the Chargers’ franchise quarterback out of the game. All day long this defense dominated a potent Chargers offense to the point where, outside of Keenan Allen, it looked like the Chargers weren’t even rolling out a full 11 players.
The Chargers had just 135 yards and six points. The six total points LA scored was its lowest output thus far and the fewest points allowed by the Jaguar defense all season.
As I said about Coen, coach Camp also found a way to get back to the basics and regroup his unit. He did so against a solid team at that. Hats off.
Defensive Line Play
I have had some critical words for Josh Hines-Allen and crew this season. Much of it was maybe deserved. Maybe some of it wasn’t. All that was out the window Sunday when the Jaguars returned to their Sacksonville roots and dominated along the defensive front.
The Chargers have a bottom-tier offensive line as it is, and Jacksonville actually took advantage of it. The Chargers were forced to swap left tackles late, but at that point, it didn’t even come close to mattering.
Travon Wallker had half a sack. Danny Striggow of all people had half a sack. Arik Armstead had two TFLs and made an impact all day. Most importantly, the pressure-getter himself, Hines-Allen, recorded a full sack to break the team’s all-time sack record. What a return to greatness moment for the Jacksonville defensive line.
Outside of just sacks, the Chargers were only able to run the ball for 42 yards. Also, much of the inability for LA to throw the ball was due to pressure being in Herbert’s face all afternoon.
Someone must have lit a serious fire under the butts of the guys along the defensive front and boy did it work. I have been critical of this group greatly. But for one week, I can only give much due praise.
The Secondary
Playing a decent bit of backups, the Jaguar secondary was excellent all game.
Despite playing without Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray, plus Greg Newsome going down with an injury, it didn’t ever feel like the Jags were struggling to protect against the pass. The secondary got some help from the defensive front, but I think you can accurately say the backend held its own regardless.
Buster Brown played well. Andrew Wingard didn’t blow any major assignments. Antonio Johnson even got a pick. Christian Braswell played big minutes. Only four Chargers recorded catches, with the leading receiver, future Hall of Famer Keenan Allen, recording 53 yards. What Jaguar fan or coach wouldn’t take that?
The defensive coaches came to the table with an excellent gameplan and the players executed. Shoutout a solid day from a secondary that many probably didn’t expect much at all from.
Bhayshul Tuten
Tank who?
Rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten has been a revelation for Jacksonville, running about as hard as any rook has ever run. Against the Chargers, it looked like Tuten was going against high schoolers as he rumbled and romped for a career-high 74 yards.
He almost broke a couple for big gains but did score his third touchdown of the year before going down with a late injury. No need to speculate, but the hope is he was held out because the game was already out of hand.
Tuten’s 74 yards were part of a 192-yard day that saw Jacksonville run through the heart of the Chargers’ defense at every turn. He and Travis Etienne make a formidable 1-2 punch, one the Chargers had zero answer for.
The Connection Between Jakobi Meyers and Trevor Lawrence
There is no need to get into the “Did Trevor Lawrence Play Well Today” debate. We do that too often.
One aspect Lawrence certainly did well was finding Jakobi Meyers. The newly acquired receiver led the team led the Jags for the second straight week with five catches for 64 yards. Meyers has eight catches on nine for 105 yards in his two games in a Jacksonville uniform.
The skill players on offense have been decimated with injuries, thus the need to get a sure-handed receiver like Meyers. So far, so good in that department. Meyers had an even better day when considering Lawrence went 3-7 when targeting usual No. 1 option Parker Washington.
The Offensive Line
There wouldn’t have been the big day for the running backs if it weren’t for the day the offensive line had.
The offensive line, which got Ezra Cleveland back, pushed the Chargers all over the field and was the catalyst for the huge running game. Look at how they moved the defensive line for Lawrence’s rushing score.
Speaking of Lawrence, the offensive line kept his jersey clean. That unit didn’t allow a sack and gave up just two quarterback hits. They did so without Anton Harrison.
Last week, the unit blew chunks. This week, the unit rose to the occasion and got the job done.
LOSERS
There Is No Telling What Happens Next Week
Keen observers of this article have noticed I keep referencing last week. Because it is just that: One week ago, the Jags played their worst half of football maybe ever. Against Davis Mills, no less.
Then one week later, the team goes around and gets Herbert benched. There is just no telling what this team might do next week.
That type of rollercoaster ride is frustrating as all hell, but it might just be what the team is going to be in Year One under Coen. Maybe consistency is going to come with time but it sure would be nice to come right about now.
The team started the year with a lopsided win, then a loss to a backup quarterback. They rattled off three straight solid victories before two lopsided losses, an overtime win against a bad team and then the Texans loss. All to then beat the Chargers by 29. All you can really do is just laugh and move along.
The Jags have two easily winnable next on the schedule. How nice would it be if they… Now bear with me… Just went out and won them convincingly?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
