JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars have a problem and it’s not getting better.
The offense is struggling and it’s something that franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson have no answers for.
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For the second week in a row, the Jaguars played well enough on defense, but Lawrence and Co. were stymied again in an embarrassing 18-13 loss to the Browns on Sunday at EverBank Stadium. Jacksonville is 0-2 and playing like it did during its freefall in the second half of a forgettable 2023 season where inconsistent offensive performances torpedoed an 8-3 start. Lawrence didn’t sugarcoat the struggles that have carried over and threatened to send this season off the rails quickly. The Jaguars have never made the playoffs after an 0-2 start.
“Yeah, I mean, we suck right now, so I’m pretty shocked,” Lawrence said. “Obviously, we had a great offseason, great training camp, and we’ve got to figure it out.”
Lawrence, who signed to a $275 million contract extension in the offseason, had another uneven performance but didn’t get much help. He passed for 220 yards and was sacked four times, including for a safety with under two minutes to play. The defense forced a punt to get the ball back with one minute, 27 seconds to go but Lawrence’s final pass to Brenton Strange in the end zone was denied.
Let the questions begin for Pederson and beleagured offensive coordinator Press Taylor. The Jaguars have lost seven of their last eight games, and have looked terrible for six of the season’s eight quarters.
“Well, I’m at a loss because we’ve been together for a while now, right? We shouldn’t be playing the way we’re playing,” Pederson said. “We shouldn’t be coaching the way we’re coaching. I take accountability there. It starts with me. Then it goes to the assistant coaches and players. I just know that we’re a better football team than what we played today.”
A spark but not enough
Jacksonville was lethargic for nearly 45 minutes before it found some offense. Lawrence dialed up the long ball to Brian Thomas Jr. for a 66-yard strike down to the Cleveland 6 with just over a minute to play in the third quarter. Two plays later, Travis Etienne banged in for a touchdown to whittle the deficit to 16-10.
The Jaguars got down to the Browns 2 on their ensuing drive but stalled out and had to settle for another short Cam Little field goal. It was the second drive of the game that Jacksonville reached the 2 and couldn’t get in the end zone. Jacksonville got the ball back on its own 1 with 1 minute, 48 seconds but Lawrence was sacked for a safety. Cleveland and embattled Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson tried to bleed as much clock as possible but managed to just take 20 seconds off before punting it away and giving Lawrence one final opportunity. He just couldn’t do anything with it.
“Like I said, everyone needs to look in the mirror and figure out what they need to do individually to be better to help our team win. It’s not pointing a finger,” said Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead. “You can’t sit here and blame, and start blaming one another because the only thing you have control over is what you do. Look hard in the mirror [and ask yourself] ‘Were you good enough today to help our team win or could you have done more?”
Offense still struggling
There were flashes from Jacksonville, but the offense was ragged most of the game. Before Lawrence’s 66-yard completion to Thomas, he had just 50 yards passing. Jacksonville punted three times and had a Little field goal attempt off the upright as it sunk into a 16-3 hole. The throw to Thomas energized a listless offense and the home crowd, which had been booing quite often on Sunday. But that early deficit was too steep for any sort of comeback win.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s not who we are. Guys, coaches, players work too hard during the week. Listen, that’s a good defense. A really good defense. Probably one of the best in the league,” Pederson said. “If there’s a measuring stick, then we didn’t measure up very well today. Something we’ve got to look at. There’s too much talent, I think. There’s signs of it, but just not consistent enough.”
Rough start for Jaguars
Against Miami in the opener, the Jaguars had a crisp first half and then failed to score after that. Those second-half woes carried over to the Cleveland game.
Watson, who was accused of another sexual assault last week, marched Cleveland down the field effortlessly on the opening series. It was one of the best drives of Watson’s time in Cleveland, a 16-play, 97-yard march that chewed up more than nine minutes.
The only positive for Jacksonville in the opening half was a 33-yard run by Lawrence that went down to the 2. But the Jaguars wound up losing yardage on three plays and had to settle for a 22-yard Cam Little field goal to get within 10-3 with just under five minutes to play before half.
“I’m good. I thought we were good as a team,” Thomas said. “We have a lot more games to play. I mean, we’re good as a team, we just know what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to find ourselves and just come out there next week and get a win.”
But Watson marched Cleveland right back, the killer a 36-yard run by Jerome Ford on fourth-and-inches that flipped the field for the Browns. Dustin Hopkins connected on a 38-yard field goal for a 13-3 lead. Cleveland scored on all three of its first-half drives.
Injury woes
Tight end Evan Engram was a pregame scratch, a big loss for Jacksonville, and Tank Bigsby left the game after a hard hit on a kickoff. Bigsby fumbled the ball and Cleveland recovered but the Browns were called for an illegal procedure and had to re-kick it. Bigsby returned in the second half but only played on special teams.
With Engram’s absence, Jacksonville leaned on Strange and Luke Farrell, with both of those tight ends coming up big on the Jaguars’ field goal drive in the fourth quarter. Strange had a 30-yard catch falling down, and Farrell had two catches earlier on that drive.
“I don’t think you hit the panic button,” Pederson said. “There’s a long season ahead. We’ve got to figure some things out in a hurry. We’ve got to coach some things and do some things. Each person has to look at themselves in the mirror, me included. We’ve got to do better. It’s disappointing. It’s disappointing because there’s glimpses of greatness out there, but it’s not consistent enough.”