JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another week, another loss. The Jaguars lost to the Packers 30-27 on Sunday at EverBank Stadium to drop 2-6. They fought to the end and injuries were an issue but a loss is a loss is a loss.
The Jaguars injury list is going to be long this week. That means things may actually get worse.
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Tough to believe a 2-6 team can get worse but here is the reality. The Jaguars thought they were a team ready to go on a run and maybe they were. Maybe the pieces were coming together. Maybe they could relive the success of the 2022 run. But we saw what a team without Christian Kirk looked like last year and it wasn’t good.
Or maybe Trevor Lawrence can get in his bag and look like a $275-million quarterback. I said earlier this year that Lawrence is one of the most frustrating players to evaluate because he will throw a silly interception or fumble the ball, only to double back and drive the Jaguars down the field to score a touchdown without his top three receivers. The only receivers the Jags had left were Tim Jones and Parker Washington. The pair have 366 yards between them for their careers.
And Lawrence engineered a game-tying drive relying on that duo, Evan Engram and Brenton Strange. Not taking a shot at these guys, but that group doesn’t have much star power. One of the things that we have talked about with Lawrence for years is that the supporting cast around him wasn’t good enough and he just needed more talent around him to be successful.
Look, fair enough. I have said it. But then Lawrence turns around and goes to work in crunch time with that group. That is what I mean by he is frustrating. It is not that No. 16 can’t do anything on the football field. There are those flashes of generational talent. There are those flashes of the guy who elevates everyone around him. Sometimes, there are no flashes and it is dark and everyone is just wondering when the lights will come back on. The season is fading quickly. And with the injuries to the receiver group, they need Lawrence to be more than just a flash, they need him to turn the light on and shine bright.
Who knows, maybe it could happen.
All that aside, the loss just adds more fuel to the fire that the Jaguars need major changes in the leadership around the team. Like I said last week after the win, don’t get distracted. A close loss is still a loss. Last year, they blamed injuries and the defense for the late season collapse. Right now, they are heading towards trying to do the same thing at the end of this season and that excuse is not good enough.