Tag: jaguars win

Studs and duds from Chargers’ 31-30 loss to Jaguars in Wild Card

Highlighting the good and bad from the Chargers’ loss to the Jaguars.

The Chargers blew a 27-0 lead. In the Wild Card round. After forcing five first-half turnovers.

Sigh.

I guess we have to talk about it, right?

Stud: Asante Samuel Jr.

Samuel had a historic playoff debut, snagging three interceptions in the first half to help the Chargers jump to a 27-7 halftime lead. The second-year corner also defended three other passes to bring his total number to six, making up nearly half of the Chargers team total. Samuel won all night by playing physical, much to the chagrin of the Jaguars fans in Jacksonville. But Samuel keyed in early on to the referees’ willingness to let the DBs play, and that aggressiveness paid off in spades for the entire game. Samuel did falter in the second half once, on a touchdown to Marvin Jones, on which the corner was left in the dust as Jones found open space as Trevor Lawrence extended the play.

Dud: Lead retention

Again: this game was 27-0. TWENTY SEVEN. To. NOTHING. For the last 34:25 of the game, the Chargers were outscored 31-3, allowing a Jaguars touchdown to close the first half and then failing to score anything but a 50-yard Cameron Dicker field goal midway through the third quarter. Once LA jumped out to that lead, they seemingly just…stopped playing. The offense lost all of its juice despite the momentum you’d think they’d carry from scoring so many easy touchdowns. The defense stopped playing aggressively, which is how the Chargers generated four of its five turnovers in the first place. Trevor Lawrence took advantage, launching three second-half touchdowns and playing like the quarterback he’s always been billed as.

Stud: Points off turnovers

Los Angeles scored 20 of their 30 points off turnovers in this one, a welcome departure from the rest of the season where the Chargers failed at nearly every opportunity to convert off turnovers generated by the defense. Yes, LA had a remarkably short field in most of these cases: touchdown drives of 18 and 16 yards and a field goal drive of 1 yard that stalled inside the 5. The Chargers also drove 57 yards for a field goal after the fourth down interception of Trevor Lawrence in the first quarter. Their only other ten points came after a one-yard three-and-out and a field goal sandwiched between two Jaguars touchdown drives. At the end of the day, their ability to convert on Jacksonville’s early mistakes kept the Chargers in the game.

Dud: Ja’Sir Taylor

It’s not really Taylor’s fault that he struggled on Saturday night, considering he had to replace Michael Davis midway through the game and play outside corner full-time for the first time outside of garbage time this season. Davis, who was in and out with a pectoral injury after an awkward tackle in the third quarter, is an impossibly high bar for another Charger to clear, given the quality of Davis’ play this season. Credit to Jacksonville, who keyed in on the matchup immediately and targeted Taylor fairly often to close the game. Taylor had a bad missed tackle of Marvin Jones in the third quarter, as well as a pass interference penalty that kept a Jaguars drive alive.

Stud: Trey Pipkins III

Pipkins was instrumental in keeping Justin Herbert mostly clean on Saturday. His performance against Josh Allen and Travon Walker was the latest feather in a cap that’s proven worthy of a contract extension. While other members of the Chargers’ offensive line had their ups and downs – Jamaree Salyer left the game early with an ankle injury, Matt Feiler gave up a pivotal sack, and Zion Johnson had an illegal man downfield penalty and sack allowed – Pipkins was solid all night. The first order of business after the coaching staff is sorted out, and there’s plenty to be done, should be getting Pipkins and his agent to the negotiating table for next season and beyond.

Dud: Derwin James Jr.

I thought this was an uncharacteristically poor game from James, who’s coming off a first-team Players’ All-Pro and second-team AP All-Pro selection earlier in the week. The stud safety didn’t seem to have it in the biggest moments on Saturday. The 39-yard deep crosser to Zay Jones to energize the Jacksonville crowd and bring the Jaguars within 10 was a blown coverage by James. His responsibility is the deep half, but he sees Lawrence’s eyes drift in his direction and thinks Lawrence wants the shallower route in front of him. James closes because the Chargers had played those routes aggressively all game, and nobody carries Jones across the field. Easy touchdown. James also had his fair share of issues trying to contain Christian Kirk, who came alive in the second half.

Stud: Gerald Everett

Without Mike Williams, it seemed like a fair question to ask where the offensive production for the Chargers was going to come from, considering Jacksonville would likely (and did) hone in on Keenan Allen. While Allen still had six catches for 61 yards, Everett led the team in receiving, matching Allen’s six catches but extending them for 109 yards and a score despite being forced out of the game momentarily with an injury. Everett’s role had shrunk in recent weeks with both Allen and Williams on the field, but Jacksonville really struggled to keep him contained over the middle and on crossing routes. The tight end took advantage and became one of the few reliable chain movers of the game for Justin Herbert. It’ll be interesting to see what LA elects to do now, as Everett’s contract will need to be renewed if he’s to suit up again for the Chargers. If this is his final game in the powder blues, though, he made it a good one.

Dud: General malaise

Where to start with this franchise? I was six years old when Nate Kaeding missed that field goal in 2004 that set up the playoff loss to the Jets. I was eight when Marlon McCree fumbled. My entire childhood and adolescence has been built upon the highs and lows of this team. The 2008 squad with the #1 offense and defense but the worst special teams in NFL history. Every Philip Rivers game of Herculean effort came up short. I’ve watched every second of it.

Saturday was perhaps the worst one yet. Maybe that’s recency bias, maybe it’s because I’m older now, or maybe it’s because I watched the game with my best friend, a Jaguars fan. But my gut says this is the worst one, especially when you add all the context together.

Brandon Staley playing his starters in Week 18 only to have Mike Williams get injured going to get a lot of attention, more than it already has. And it should! But the only reason, to hear Staley tell it, that they had to do that was because there was nobody else to play. The Chargers only carried five wide receivers on the active roster all season. They chose not to elevate one for Week 18 nor the playoff game, despite both being opportunities to do so. After Williams’ injury, only four healthy receivers remained available, which is why Keenan Allen played into the fourth quarter. On Saturday, once DeAndre Carter was ruled out with an ankle injury, the only receivers available were Allen, Josh Palmer, and Michael Bandy. What kind of sense does that make?

To harp on a point from before: the Chargers were up 27-0 in the second quarter. They forced five Jaguars turnovers, including four interceptions of Trevor Lawrence. People were ready to crown LA as divisional round participants. And then they just laid down and let Jacksonville author a comeback that nobody will ever forget. Lawrence got to pen the first chapter in what seems to be an illustrious playoff career, while Justin Herbert was left with nothing more than a rough draft. Primetime Herbert can pilot this team through anything, no matter the situation, people said. I remember saying the same thing about Rivers. It’s fair, too: LA has been blessed with transcendent, top-of-the-line QB play in nearly every season I’ve been alive to see. But that’s not enough for this organization. In my mind, it will continue not to be enough until I’m proven wrong.

Oh, and our phenom rookie kicker missed a field goal in a game that ended with a two-point margin after the opponent’s young kicker made theirs. We live in 2004 again.

The Chargers are a deeply, deeply cursed franchise. Chargering is not leaving the football lexicon anytime soon. It goes beyond execution on the field, beyond coaching, beyond the things we can see and quantify and understand.

See you next season to do it all again.

Minshew, Shenault guide Jaguars offense to victory

If the early returns are any indication, Gardner Minshew and Laviska Shenault Jr. are going to be in for quite a season.

After a turbulent off-season, the Jacksonville Jaguars came out and started the season off right, earning a 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Two of their young offensive stars, quarterback Gardner Minshew and rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. shined in the victory. Minshew was almost perfect, completing 19 of 20 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns, while Shenault was utilized all over the field and scored his first NFL touchdown.

Looking at how the Jaguars used their young wideout to help the entire Jacksonville offense is a window into their schematic future.

Take Jacksonville’s first touchdown of the 2020 NFL season. The Jaguars face a 2nd and goal on the six, and Shenault aligns on the left side of the offense. The rookie then comes in motion across the formation, and a defender trails him. Take note of the response from the Indianapolis secondary:

With the defender trailing, Minshew has an inkling that the Colts are in man coverage. There will be a twist in a moment, as we will see. Here’s what the Jaguars run on the play:

Shenault shows the defense a potential screen, while Chark releases vertically. That puts the cornerback in a bind. Remember, Minshew is thinking the Colts are in man coverage, given how they responded to Shenault’s motion. But there is a twist, as promised. Indianapolis drops into a red zone Cover 2 look. Instead of the man coverage Minshew was expecting, he gets a zone look.

However, this works just as well for the offense. Cornerback TJ Carrie is still stuck between a rock and a hard place. He has the flat to that side, so Sheanult works as a “low,” but with Chark releasing to the outside, he now is bracketed with a “high.” The cornerback squats for a moment in response to the potential screen to Shenault, and that is all Minshew needs:

The threat of Shenault creates the opportunity, and Minshew takes advantage.

A similar concept worked later in the second quarter, when Minshew was able to find Shenault on a vertical route. This time the Jaguars face a 1st and 10 in their own territory, and Shenault comes in motion before the play from left-to-right again:

This time, it is Kenny Moore who trails the rookie across the formation. Just before the snap, here is the state of play:

Here’s what Jacksonville runs:

They throw a lot of eye candy at the Colts’ defense, and in particular Moore, who is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. They show a split-zone design, with the running back aiming to the left, but Minshew fakes the handoff and slides to the right, with the tight end releasing to the flat. The boundary receiver takes off vertically, drawing the cornerback. Moore first sees the run action, and then the QB rolling to him with the tight end releasing to the flat. All of that action draws his attention, while Shenault sneaks out vertically. With the vertical route from the outside WR pulling the cornerback downfield, the rookie is wide open:

Easy throw, easy catch and Jacksonville is near midfield.

While he was with Colorado, Shenault aligned all over the field for the Buffaloes, including snaps at tight end, running back and yes, at quarterback. So it should come as no surprise that we saw a little of Shenault taking snaps out of a Wildcat formation against the Colts:

Minshew begins the play under center but then motions out towards the sideline, allowing Shenault to take the direct snap. He patiently picks his spot and cuts inside for a gain of five. Not the most exciting play, but one more thing opposing defenses will need to prepare for each time they face the Jaguars.

Then there is the touchdown from Minshew to Shenault, that looked almost like a connection between Tom Brady and Wes Welker. Shenault aligns in a stack-slot to the right and will run a crossing route, throttling down for a second before continuing over the middle:

You can see why this play is reminiscent of something veterans like Brady and Welker would connect on, and not two younger players like Minshew and Shenault. When the rookie WR throttles down, that draws the nearest defender towards him and causes that player to settle a bit. Then when Shenault accelerates, he is able to extend his separation and Minshew hits him in stride. QB and WR are certainly on the same page here, and that is also evident from the end zone camera. Pay close attention to Minshew’s feet:

One of the knock on Air Raid quarterbacks coming out of college – such as Minshew – is that their footwork is not precise enough to function in an NFL offense. This was a mischaracterization of Minshew, whose footwork was very effective in the pocket. He always keeps his feet in position to throw as he works through his reads, and this play is a prime example. Notice how he resets his feet towards the middle of the field just before releasing this throw? That is precisely the kind of footwork you want to see from a veteran passer. But here is Minshew doing it in just his second season.

Many thought the Jaguars were lining up for a shot at Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence with the moves they made this offseason. But if Minshew continues to perform like this, Jacksonville might be looking to address another position early in next year’s draft. With Shenault at his side, and the attention he is drawing already from opposing defenses, Minshew might just keep this current form going.