JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars wasted a defensive masterpiece on Sunday with an offense that just couldn’t move the ball.
With starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence sidelined with a shoulder injury, Mac Jones and the offense struggled mightily in a 12-7 loss to the Vikings at EverBank Stadium that was every bit as ugly as the final score indicated.
Recommended Videos
The result wasn’t unexpected.
Minnesota was a touchdown favorite over the Jaguars but the defense showed up. The offense was inept in ways that it hadn’t been in years. Jacksonville managed just 10 first downs and 143 net yards and had the ball for just 17 minutes, 41 seconds. The yardage total was the fifth-lowest in franchise history, and the lowest since a Dec. 30, 2018 game against the Texans (119).
The loss adds another disappointing page to the 30th season in franchise history, one that has quickly become one of the most frustrating for owner Shad Khan. He expected the playoffs this year, especially with mega-extensions for Lawrence, Tyson Campbell and Josh Hines-Allen. Instead, the Jaguars are in the conversation for the top pick in next April’s draft, an unbelievable fall from grace for head coach Doug Pederson.
“Never expected to be here. We had five or six games, they’re one-score games. It’s hard. As a team, as coaches, we’re making it hard, too hard,” Pederson said. “And the guys are frustrated, and they should be; and they’re angry, and they should be because we all are. But we have to channel it in a positive way and get ready for another one.”
The Jaguars erased Minnesota’s high-powered offense, holding the Vikings to just four field goals and picking off Sam Darnold three times. But Jacksonville (2-8) did nothing with those takeaways and had three killer turnovers in the final quarter alone to squash any sort of heroic comeback by hometown hero Jones.
The Bolles School product had three turnovers in the final seven minutes, losing a fumble that Minnesota turned into 29-yard field goal from John Parker Romo to make it 12-7. On the next drive, Jones tried to find Gabe Davis but Byron Murphy Jr. picked it off. Same thing for the final play, when Jones looked long for Davis, but was hit hard as he let it go. Davis looked like he ran a different route than what the quarterback expected and Camryn Bynum had an easy interception.
Jacksonville tried to get it back once more but Travon Walker drew an unnecessary roughness call after a Jaguars stop on third down would have forced Minnesota to punt. The Vikings were able to kneel down twice from there and sneak out of Jacksonville with an ugly win.
For the Jaguars, it was an out-of-character performance. The defense has been one of the league’s softest all season but that wasn’t the case against the Vikings. They knocked Darnold around almost from the outset in turning in their best effort since last year.
Tough day for Mac
Lawrence missed just the second start of his career with an injury to his left shoulder, giving Jones the first start of his Jaguars career. He delivered a 1-yard rushing sneak in the first quarter to put Jacksonville in front 7-3 but things went poorly after that.
Jones was acquired by the Jaguars in an offseason in a trade with the Patriots after his tenure there ended on a sour note. He was drafted to replace the iconic Tom Brady and delivered a playoff spot in his first season, ironically, going 14 spots in the first round behind Lawrence. The Jaguars were happy to take Jones on as a reclamation project.
On Sunday, things spiraled after his touchdown and got progressively worse and worse.
“I think the defense played great and the offense, we’ve got to do better, and it starts with me. Those guys fought, though, and I really appreciate the team for having my back. Just got to learn from it,” Jones said. “No excuses. Definitely wanted a different result, but I’m going to keep fighting.”
Jones’ best throw of the game came on a 19-yard grab to a diving Davis with just over five minutes to play in the first half that set up Jacksonville’s touchdown. But that was the high point. The final interception was a head scratcher.
“I’m not going to go through the details of the play because you guys wouldn’t figure it out,” said a testy Pederson. “But we’ll look at the tape tomorrow and we’ll make those corrections.”
Rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. wasn’t targeted until the third quarter and most of Jones throws were shorter routes. Thomas finished with just 12 yards on two catches. And Jones had a forgettable afternoon (14 of 22, 111 yards, 2 interceptions).
Defense turns in its best game
The oft-criticized defense of Ryan Nielsen came to play.
“I thought the defense played incredible football. On offense, we didn’t do them any favors,” said center Mitch Morse. “Put that on us, put that on me. Now is when hopefully we stay together as a team. That’s all we can do.”
Foye Oluokun picked off a Darnold tipped pass to wipe out one of Minnesota’s top drives of the half that went down to the Jaguars 30. Buster Brown made a diving interception in the end zone before halftime to kill another Vikings drive. Darnell Savage had the third pick of Darnold just seven plays into the second half.
Former Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson was given an unnecessary roughness flag on that return as he walloped Savage going out of bounds on the return. Robinson was dealt to the Vikings before the NFL trade deadline. A penalty flag wiped out a fourth interception by the defense, a pick by Ronald Darby. For a team that has been one of the league’s worst defenses all year, having that type of showing against Minnesota was a positive step.
“I feel like we lost a battle, good battle, good fight but you want to come out on top,” Oluokun said. “So, how do I feel? Pretty upset. Got to find a way to win these close games. Same message all the way through the game, even when it gets close, low-scoring games, there’s little plays you’ve got to win that we didn’t win in order to help our team win. So, we’ve got to find that all the way through the game.”