Jacksonville’s 20-game run of futility came to an end with one kick from Matthew Wright, as it defeated the Miami Dolphins in London 23-20 to end the longest losing streak in football over the last 40 years. The Jaguars still have their limitations as a team, but they’re starting to play a lot better, especially on offense.
However, when looking at this week’s top performers from Pro Football Focus, it’s hard to ignore the presence of the defensive players, who stand atop the list. First is Josh Allen, who once again was the highest-graded Jaguar in Week 6 with a 92.9 grade.
Highest-graded #Jaguars from Week 6 (min. 25 snaps):
▪️ Josh Allen – 92.9
▪️ Dawuane Smoot – 88.1
▪️ Rudy Ford – 83.1
▪️ Trevor Lawrence – 82.5
▪️ Marvin Jones Jr. – 81.6 pic.twitter.com/nPlHX4grZF— PFF JAX Jaguars (@PFF_Jaguars) October 18, 2021
Allen had seven tackles and registered a hit on the quarterback, but he needs to get better at finishing plays. While he has six quarterback hurries on the year, it’s only netted him 2.5 sacks.
He’s followed by Dawuane Smoot, who continues to impress on the interior. While he only had two tackles, he matched Allen’s pressure with one of his own. Meanwhile, safety Rudy Ford (who sees most of his opportunities in the slot in dime packages) had three tackles, and while health is an issue in the secondary, he could continue to see a bigger role.
Now, we finally get to the offensive players. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the way with an 82.5 grade as he tossed for 319 yards and one touchdown while avoiding any interceptions (though he did have a fumble on a strip-sack). He’s followed by his favorite target this season, Marvin Jones Jr., who made seven catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
These PFF lists are starting to look pretty similar every week, and it’s clear that Jacksonville’s standout players are starting to emerge. But even Allen, a player grading above a 90, hasn’t been productive enough to make a difference.
The offense is starting to come along, and there are certainly some positive signs for the defense. But with a tough stretch of games coming up, there isn’t a lot of time for rapid improvement.