JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The phrase that keeps running through my head as I break down another Jaguars loss is the same as it was last week. And the week before that. And the week before that, too.
More of the same. So much more of the same.
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Jacksonville’s fourth straight loss on Sunday felt so much like the weeks before it. The Texans came into this game winless and averaging 20 points per game. They left the game scoring 30 and getting into the win column for the first time all year.
The Jaguars made an 0-4 team look good. That’s becoming a theme. Jacksonville made a winless Cincinnati team with a rookie quarterback and a terrible offensive line look good. They made a winless Dolphins team and journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick look good.
This loss wasn’t about one unit struggling. There’s enough blame to go around. This was questionable playcalling. This was the offense failing to find a rhythm and Gardner Minshew II still unable to feel comfortable in the pocket. This was, at critical points in the game, the defense blowing a coverage. This was a kicker who drained momentum with a pair of missed field goals.
More of the same.
Steven Hauschka’s misses were big. I know the first thing that comes to mind is points in that situation. But blown field goals like that, especially on his 24-yard miss, totally deflate a team. You have a nice, long drive to set Hauschka up. You expect a chip shot like that as easy points. Missing that was such a momentum drain for the team as a whole.
Another play that was borne out of Hauschka’s misses was a fourth-and-1 against one of the worst rush defenses in the league. The Jaguars call a pitch-pass to James Robinson. Why?
It would be one thing if Jacksonville was losing games during 35-30 shootouts week after week. That is not the case. The Jaguars are losing games with an offense that has no rhythm and a defensive unit that is giving up 30 ore more a week.
I don’t think things are likely to change. Sure, the injuries hurt, but they’re part of the game. This team is struggling, even regressing, in every area at this point. What’s the answer right now? I don’t know if there is one. It just feels like more of the same.