Good, bad, and ugly from the Jags’ loss to the Colts
The Jacksonville Jaguars weren’t able to secure their first winning streak since 2019 on Sunday after falling to the Indianapolis Colts in a battle where they fought to the end. Ultimately, with the Jags surging late in the game, the Colts were able to do enough to hold them off and move to 4-4 after a 23-17 victory.
While the game put another figure in the loss column for the Jags (now 2-7), it wasn’t all bad for the Jags as we’ve seen with some of the losses of the past. At the same time, there were a lot of costly mistakes that could end up making the team better down the road if they look to correct them.
With that being the case, here are the good, bad, and ugly takeaways we came away with after assessing Sunday’s loss:
The good: Another solid day by the Jags' defense
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz (2) fires off a pass to Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Adam Gotsis (96) wraps him up Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
While it wasn’t a near-perfect performance like last week by the unit, the Jags defense had another good day against Indianapolis after starting slow and letting Jonathan Taylor gash them for a 52 yard gain on the first play. However, Taylor only garnered 64 yards past that point, and the defense didn’t allow a touchdown (but instead two field goals) after the first quarter.
Ultimately, the defense did a good job pressuring Colts quarterback Carson Wentz and forced him to make some inaccurate throws. And while he did finish with a 64.7% completion rate, several of his key throws were below the sticks, and he finished with only 180 passing yards on the day.
When considering the Colts’ first touchdown came from a blocked punt, the Jags’ defense only allowed 16 points Sunday (including just one touchdown). In the NFL, that’s a figure that gives the team a chance to win, but the Jags’ struggling offense didn’t capitalize on it.
The bad: Special teams has a rough day
Indianapolis Colts linebacker E.J. Speed (45) pushes off of Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke (9) as he rushes for a touchdown after recovering a blocked punt Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
As mentioned above, the Jags’ special teams performance certainly played a role in the loss, and it all started with the aforementioned blocked punt that was exchanged for six points. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin was able to get some penetration from the middle of the punt formation and blocked the punt off Logan Cooke’s foot. Safety Andrew Wingard had a chance to fall on the ball, but it seems he thought Franklin was going to scoop it and score, so he went for the tackle instead of diving on the ball, which proved to be costly.
However, the struggles didn’t stop there on special teams as kicker Matthew Wright had a sporadic day. He missed the extra-point attempt that followed the Jags’ first touchdown and missed a field goal for 51 yards. This brings his total to 7-of-10 on field goals and 14-of-16 on extra-point attempts. For a team like the Jags that can’t afford to make many mistakes, that’s concerning, and if Wright wants to remain the team’s kicker, he needs to become consistent sooner rather than later.
If these key special teams mistakes didn’t occur Sunday, the Jags could’ve won the game. With that being the case, special teams coach Nick Sorensen has a lot of work to do this week to make sure these issues are cleaned up.
The ugly: Offense continues to struggle
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) draws back to pass Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. [The Indianapolis Star]
After the Jags only put up nine points against the Bills, fans came into this game hoping that Trevor Lawrence and Co. would get back on track, but that wasn’t the case. For a majority of the game, the rookie couldn’t get in sync with his receivers, and what little life the offense did show came from the running game as James Robinson and Jamal Agnew combined for two touchdowns.
In a nutshell, it appears to be a lot of the little details like drops and the inability for receivers to separate that have hurt the Jags mostly, both of which won’t help a rookie quarterback. This is not to say he’s been perfect, either, but it does explain why many stressed the Jags needed to be aggressive with adding weapons around Lawrence this offseason.
As for Lawrence, the ball security issue we saw earlier this season somewhat flared up again. While he didn’t throw any picks, he did fumble the ball on what could’ve been the game-winning drive. During Jacksonville’s last offensive possession, the pocket collapsed, and he was in the process of scrambling (or stepping up) but DeForest Buckner tackled him and started the process of getting the ball loose. Then, Dayo Odeyingbo finished off the tackle, and the ball came shooting out for Kemoko Turay to recover.
After the costly mistake, Lawrence was visibly frustrated with himself because it ultimately could’ve been a great moment for his career. However, it’s now a teaching moment, but it should ultimately make him a better player.
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