The Jacksonville Jaguars have started the season winless following this past weekend’s defeat to Cleveland at home, 18-13.
This was yet another game where the Jaguars had opportunities to score but failed to produce.
One painful sequence stood out from the game: a goal-to-go situation late in the first half, during which Jacksonville had to take two timeouts and settled for a field goal due to a mix of communication issues and poor execution.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence addressed these issues in their respective post-game press conferences. Pederson pointed to situational awareness with the play clock running down.
“It can’t happen. It just can’t happen,” Pederson said.
Lawrence pointed out the team’s red-zone struggles as the Jaguars scored touchdowns on one-of-four trips inside the 20-yard line, noting some key plays from that key first-half drive and that they must do better in these situations.
“It’s just little details. We were in the red zone twice close, inside the 5-yard line and didn’t score,” said Lawrence, who completed just 14 of 30 pass attempts for 214 yards. “You can’t do that in this league. You’ve got to take advantage of those opportunities.”
Jaguars Wire took a closer look at what happened in this specific goal-to-go sequence and how it displays bigger problems for Jacksonville’s offense, a combination of mixed assignments and head-scratching decisions by personnel and coaching alike.
What led the Jaguars to goal-to-go
To set the scene, it was the second quarter of the game with the Browns up 10-0 following a field goal on their previous drive. The Jaguars took possession with 9:52 left in the first half.
This drive began with a play-action to draw Cleveland’s linebackers to the line of scrimmage and get Jacksonville tight end Brenton Strange open on a deep backside post. The route concept worked.
However, wide receiver Gabe Davis was forced to block defensive end Za’Darius Smith and predictably got beat on the edge, forcing Lawrence to bail on Strange and complete a negative check-down play to Christian Kirk.
Jacksonville proceeded to pick up positive yardage on its next four plays: A 10-yard pass to Davis, a three-yard 3rd and 1 rush by running back Travis Etienne Jr., a 20-yard follow-up scamper by Etienne, and a three-yard run by running back D’Ernest Johnson.
Then another negative play occurred. As JP Acosta of SB Nation pointed out, this was a single-back stick concept that nearly turned into a disaster for Lawrence. Cleveland cornerback Martin Emerson almost secured the interception but dropped it while falling to the ground.
The pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Jordan Hicks. Still, it was on a line toward rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who needed to turn his head around quicker given how quickly the throw left Lawrence’s hand. This play was designed to create an easy third-down situation, and it nearly turned into a turnover.
Facing 3rd and 7 at Cleveland’s 35-yard line, Lawrence took off for a 33-yard gain to give Jacksonville first and goal at the two, marking one of the Jaguars’ biggest plays of the game.
The field goal that should never have happened
The following three-play sequence encapsulates the issues Jacksonville currently faces offensively.
Before a first and goal run, Pederson is forced to call timeout due to the play clock running down, the first discombobulating domino to fall as the Jaguars were within five yards of the goal line. Lawrence took the blame for it.
‘The clock was rolling and it was after a big play. We didn’t have the urgency getting out of the huddle, getting up to the line and seeing the play clock,” Lawrence explained. “I own that one, and we took the first time-out.”
On first and goal, Jacksonville came out with 12 personnel – two tight ends, two wide receivers and one running back – and motioned Thomas right to left before the snap.
The play-call was a dive between the tackles against an eight-man box. Center Mitch Morse did not climb to the second level to block Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, while left guard Ezra Cleveland only brushed him on his combo block.
Owusu-Koramoah filled the A-gap and recorded a tackle for loss on Etienne.
The next play is an example of a lack of executing assignments by one or multiple players, something that has plagued the team throughout the Pederson era, especially since the Jaguars began a 1-7 slide in Week 13 of last season.
The Jaguars came out of the empty shotgun with 11 personnel – one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers. Lawrence discussed this specific play when asked about the red-zone issues Sunday afternoon.
“You look back at the drive earlier in the first half [when] we had the two time-outs … I think I missed Brian who was open, and then after that had to scramble,” Lawrence said.
It is good to see the franchise quarterback admit a mistake on a specific play like this. However, it did not help that his offense played from that specific formation in this area of the field, an empty look without additional blocking help.
While the play design and execution were good to start, Lawrence bailed from the pocket as he anticipated but did not necessarily face pressure, resulting in another missed opportunity for the Jaguars.
Then, before third and goal, the Jaguars burned another timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty, a clear indication of poor communication which Lawrence verified post-game.
“It’s just communication. We’re getting in, getting in late, we’re trying to figure it out,” Lawrence said. “Obviously [tight end] Evan [Engram] went down today before the game, so some things changed, but it doesn’t matter. There’s no excuses. You’ve got to perform and you’ve got to be able to adjust.”
On third and goal after the timeout, the offense once again came out of 11 personnel. The formation is trips left with Thomas motioning left to right pre-snap to create doubles.
Thomas and Strange run a bench concept to the right, while Davis and Kirk run crossers from the left. The issue here is that the play has Johnson chipping before running a delayed angle route to work from the right side of the field to the left.
As you can see above, there are no open receivers against the Browns’ Cover 1-hole defense, forcing Lawrence to attempt a tight window throw while Davis was not looking, which ended up behind the receiver and fell into the turf.
The initial pressure forced Lawrence to take an extra hitch and navigate the pocket, potentially delaying the pass’ delivery.
If anything, this is not an ideal play selection in this situation against this coverage, especially in a condensed field zone and against a Browns defense that is known for shutting down quality offenses.
After starting the sequence two yards from the goal line, the Jaguars settled for three points, four yards removed from the plane.
What to make of the goal-line sequence
This sequence and overall drive displayed a key element that Jacksonville is missing: An offensive identity.
It has been difficult to decipher what the Jaguars’ offense is supposed to be or what they want to lean on through two games. Jacksonville’s apparent lack of vision for its offense is costing the club games, and casting a shadow over the strong performance of its defense to start the season.
Inconsistent play-calling and play choices in critical situations have been detrimental, whether it be on goal-to-go, third downs or even early downs. The Jaguars have also abandoned their successful under-center play-action passing game at times.
There are communication issues, missed assignments and a lack of discipline displayed on tape on numerous occasions dating back to last season.
Each factor was apparent in Jacksonville’s biggest missed opportunity against Cleveland, the above drive.