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Coming off a bye week and their first win of the season, expectations were relatively high for the Jacksonville Jaguars heading into Sunday afternoon. But any hopes at ending this team’s west-coast woes were quickly dashed by a Seahawks team that was missing quarterback Russell Wilson.
Seattle sat at just 2-5 entering the contest and had dropped its last three games, but the Jags’ defense was just what the doctor ordered, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence couldn’t find enough offensive success to make this game competitive.
The Jaguars were dominated in a 31-7 beatdown that was never particularly close. They’re now 1-6, and the road doesn’t get any easier as one of the best teams in the AFC travels to TIAA Bank Field next weekend in the Buffalo Bills.
Here are the takeaways from this one.
A woefully inefficient offense
Lawrence had arguably his best game of the season in the win over Miami in London, and Seattle’s struggling unit seemed like it would be a good matchup for the rookie. But that didn’t prove to be the case.
Drops (of which there were many) killed drives as it took Lawrence 53 attempts to throw for just 238 yards. He completed just 32 of those passes, one of which went for a touchdown to Jamaal Agnew in garbage time to avoid a shutout, but he also had an interception on what appeared to be a route miscommunication with Tavon Austin.
The Jags didn’t have much help on the ground either. James Robinson started the game off playing pretty well, taking his first four carries for 22 yards. But after the longest of those carries (a 14-yard run), he injured his ankle and didn’t return despite being listed as questionable.
The team didn’t find much rushing success in his absence. Carlos Hyde had nine carries for 32 yards (though he had 40 yards on six catches), while Dare Ogonbowale only had two carries for nine yards.
This was one of Jacksonville’s least efficient offensive games of the season, and the team will need to look way less sluggish moving forward.
Geno “MVP” Smith
As milquetoast as Jacksonville’s offensive performance was, the defensive performance made it look spectacular. Smith had struggled mightily this season, but as they did against Tyrod Taylor in Week 1, the Jags made a mediocre quarterback look elite.
Smith’s numbers won’t blow anyone away, but he had a very efficient 20-of- 24 day for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He was in synch with his receivers, finding Tyler Lockett 12 times for 142 yards and DK Metcalf for two touchdowns.
While Jacksonville’s run defense held Alex Collins largely in check (10 carries, 44 yards), the secondary did not play up to par despite having Tyson Campbell back in the lineup (more on his play below).
The offense didn’t do enough to win this game, but this continues to look like one of the league’s worst defenses. After the team had 10 draft picks and the most cap space in football, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
Other notes
- Tight end Dan Arnold continues to look like a solid addition for the Jags, as he was the leading receiver on Sunday with eight catches for 68 yards. James O’Shaughnessy is still on the injured reserve, and it’s unclear how big a role Arnold will see upon his return, but it seems like Arnold was a solid return for C.J. Henderson.
- As far as the rest of the receivers go, there are more problems. Agnew only reeled in 6 of 12 targets, while Laviska Shenault Jr. was only targeted four times, catching two of them for only 13 yards. He dropped a catchable ball on third and short, as well. Outside of Marvin Jones, who had five catches for 38 yards, the team doesn’t have a lot of consistency at receiver right now. Both mental mistakes and drops from this unit hurt the offense considerably.
- Campbell was back in the lineup, but it didn’t help Jacksonville’s struggles against the pass. He spent most of the game lined up on Lockett, who had his second-most productive game of the season. Meanwhile, Shaquill Griffin lined up on DK Metcalf and mostly kept the superstar in check, but he did give up two touchdowns. Between Campbell’s consistent problems, Griffin’s less consistent problems, and yet another taunting penalty against safety Rayshawn Jenkins, it was a game to forget for the defensive backfield.
- Josh Allen has come oh-so-close so many times this season, but he finally had a very good game on Sunday. He sacked Smith twice, bringing his total on the season to 4.5. Allen has been among Jacksonville’s highest-graded players in recent weeks (via Pro Football Focus), and it was only a matter of time until his play would pay off. He fared well against the run, too, totaling six tackles. Dawuane Smoot also continues to impress, and he got in on the action with a sack of his own.
- Myles Jack was back in the lineup after missing the trip to London, and while it didn’t make a difference in the outcome, it was clear that having him back helped. He led the team in tackles with nine, just ahead of his counterpart Damien Wilson, who had eight.