It seems that victory has escaped the Jacksonville Jaguars even in the new year.
The Jacksonville Jaguars ended their season on a sour note as they fell to their AFC South rivals in the Indianapolis Colts by the score of 28-14. With the loss, the Jaguars end the 2020-21 season with the NFL’s longest losing streak at 15 games and finish the season with the worst record in the NFL with a 1-15 mark.
While the losses have been frequent, the silver lining is that the Jaguars will finish the season with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a whopping eleven draft picks overall.
The Jaguars looked to repeat their Week 1 magic where they defeated the Colts 27-20, but that would not be the case as a strong running game and pass rush guided the Colts to victory. It was not all bad, though, as some players on the Jags’ side shined while some faded to the background.
Here are the winners and losers from the Jaguars’ season finale loss to the Colts:
Winner: WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
The Jaguars could have possibly found their cornerstone wide receiver in Laviska Shenault Jr.
The rookie out of Colorado had an incredible day, finishing it with the first multi-touchdown game of his career along with six catches for 68 yards. When factoring in last week’s game, Shenault ended the season with a touchdown in the Jags’ last two contests.
The No. 42 overall pick of April’s draft finished his rookie campaign with five scores on the season to go along with 532 yards and 52 receptions. He has also shown some versatility as he’s also lined up in the backfield 17 times, averaging a 5.5 yards per carry clip.
Shenault has shown great ability to shed off tacklers with his imposing 6-foot-1, 227-pound frame and become a trusted safety valve for each of the Jags’ quarterbacks. He will be a crucial part of a young Jaguars’ offensive core going forward with fellow receiver D.J. Chark Sr. and running back James Robinson.
Loser: The offensive line, yet again
The Jaguars offensive line did not have an easy day against one of the premier defenses in the NFL.
The Jags’ offensive linemen gave up a whopping six sacks on the day and had zero answers for Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner as he finished his day with two sacks. Colts stud linebacker Darius Leonard got in on the action as he not only got a sack but also was credited with a forced fumble that was eventually recovered by cornerback TJ Carrie.
The Jaguars pass protection has been a mixed bag of results as they have had stretches where they have played well, such as Weeks 12-14 where they only gave up only two sacks. However, this was a game where they did not hold up well against a Colts defense that only ranked No. 16 in sacks.
Winner: Chris Conley
With the receiving corps missing their main weapon in Chark, Chris Conley stepped up positively.
Conley finished with a season-high of 87 receiving yards and seven receptions. His yardage output was his most since Week 1 of 2019, where he had 97 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. Conley has been a secondary weapon of the Jaguars offense but filled in quite admirably when called upon to be a major part of the offense.
Conley will be an unrestricted free agent after the season after coming to Jacksonville on a two-year $4.5-plus million deal. With his ability to stretch the field vertically, time will tell if he will be back in Duval.
Losers: Joe Schobert/Myles Jack
The Jaguars linebacking corps may have had their absolute worst game all season.
While the defense played solid against the Colts by the standards of a one-win team, Joe Schobert and Myles Jack struggled. Colts rookie running back Johnathan Taylor had his way with the pair as he ran en route to a season-high 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Schobert took poor angles all day in the run game, and one prime example was on Taylor’s 45-yard touchdown where the Jags’ linebacker got faked out in the trenches and was beaten for the long score. Schobert was also practically nowhere to be found on the rookie’s 56-yard run that later led to a one-yard touchdown.
Jack couldn’t find any room to get open as his block shedding left a lot to be desired. The star linebacker had issues when blocked by Colts tight end Jack Doyle and was completely erased from the play previous to Taylor’s 56-yard touchdown run. Jack was also virtually nowhere to be found on any of Taylor’s large runs leading to a practical one-man dissection of the Jags’ linebackers.
The defense overall did a great job in pass coverage in slowing down Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, however, Taylor ran roughshod over two of the more talented linebackers in football. While both have played well this season, this game against the Colts was one where they definitely might want to forget about.