The Jaguars traveled to the Meadowlands and lost their seventh game in a row, a 26-21 defeat at the hands of the Jets. Jacksonville fell to 2-13 on the season and are two losses away from locking up the first overall pick in the draft for the second straight year. Here are my four biggest takeaways from the game:
Even without Urban Meyer, this group is still very Jaggy
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Firing Urban Meyer wasn’t going to fix what was wrong with this team, but it did allow the Jaguars to begin fixing some of what is wrong. There is still a talent deficit on the team, made worse by Myles Jack and Josh Allen being on the COVID list. There were special teams gaffes, including allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown. There were missed tackles — sometimes dramatically so, like on the Zach Wilson touchdown run in the first quarter. This team won’t be fixed until next season (at the earliest). But the work can continue.
Jaguars pulling out all the stops, and I’m OK with it
With Brian Schottenheimer calling plays, we saw some creativity and a fake punt on the first drive that resulted in a first down. Especially before James Robinson left the game with an Achilles injury, there were a few wrinkles, including backup tackle Walker Little lining up in the slot as a receiver. This is the time of year to be a little aggressive. After all, what do the Jaguars have to lose? Just another game.
Trevor’s accuracy was better
The thing the Jaguars can hang their hats on heading to the offseason would be to see Trevor Lawrence improve in all facets of his game. But the first, and most obvious thing he can improve on, is his accuracy. The numbers will show it to some extent, despite several drops on Sunday. Granted, Lawrence was facing the Jets, one of the worst teams in the league and a team dealing with nearly 20 players on the COVID list. But you have to take it where you can get it.
What’s next?
Sunday’s game against the Jets was the last one on the schedule that looked winnable. Next week, the Jaguars travel to New England to take on a Patriots team in a playoff race. Then they finish the season on Jan. 9 at home against the Colts, who are also battling for the playoffs.
More notably, Tuesday is the first day where the Jaguars can begin interviewing assistant coaches who are working for other NFL teams. That could include Jim Caldwell, who is on the staff of the Miami Dolphins, and coordinators like Byron Leftwich (Buccaneers), Kellen Moore (Cowboys) and Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs).