The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to the Denver Broncos in Week 2, raising serious questions about issues the Jaguars could be facing through the rest of the season.
Jacksonville started off the game strong, dominating through the first half before imploding in the second, particularly in the fourth quarter. After leading 13-3, the Jaguars allowed 17 unanswered points, and fall to 1-1.
Here are three things we learned after the 20-13 loss.
The offensive line is a real concern
Trevor Lawrence was able to play through it at first, but the offensive line was a real issue throughout the entire game. This week, Lawrence pressured on 42% of his dropbacks, versus 17% in Week 1. The pocket repeatedly collapsed; Lawrence was sacked twice and hit multiple other times. Jacksonville was only able to get
positive yardage because Lawrence escaped or was able to deliver under pressure.
Lawrence performed well in the first half in spite of the offensive line, going 17/29 for 189 yards and an interception in the fourth quarter. The interception was the beginning of the end; from there, he missed six of his next seven passes, and Jacksonville couldn't mount a comeback. At some point, Lawrence can only compensate for so much. Denver’s pass rush exposed something Cleveland didn’t in Week 1.
Jacksonville's pass defense has a big-play problem
The Jaguars run defense has been a dominant unit, and for most of the Broncos game, that held up. The questions about the defense mainly involved pass defense, and those questions will certainly remain after the loss to the Broncos.
In the first half, there were warning signs, but the defense was initially able to hold the line. Denver made repeated trips to the end zone, but Jacksonville was able to prevent them from scoring any touchdowns and holding them to just three points. But those warning signs turned into a major issue in the second half, when Bo Nix was able to seemingly throw as much as he wanted with little resistance from the Jaguars. Nix finished with 288 passing yards on 22/31, and Jaylen Waddle absolutely torched the Jaguars for eight catches and 138 yards. Jacksonville was able to force Denver into a one-dimensional offense, but couldn’t stop the dimension they forced them into.
The Jaguars left too many opportunities on the field
Jacksonville's loss is more on its own poor performance than it is about Denver playing well. The Jaguars had multiple chances that they did not capitalize on, with a dropped pass from LeQuint Allen, which likely would have led to a touchdown, chief among them.
Jacksonville had a great third-quarter drive, and was only able to come away with three points instead of seven. Lawrence’s interception gave Denver a short-field opportunity that became a touchdown. The Broncos committed 10 penalties, Jourdan Lewis got an end-zone interception, Denver repeatedly failed in the red zone early, and yet the Jaguars still couldn’t put the game away when they led 13-3. That's a major concern.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 3 things learned after Jaguars Week 2 loss Broncos
