Jaguars Up-Down drill: Not much upbeat after lackluster 30-12 loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Taking a look at the good, the bad and a lot of ugly from the Jaguars’ 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Up: Foye Oluokun

On a day where the Jaguars did nothing positive, linebacker Foye Oluokun became only the third player in the NFL since 2000 to record at least 150 tackles in three consecutive seasons. His 12 tackles pushed him to 160, one behind league leader and Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin. Oluokun, a Yale product, has been the NFL’s top tackler the past two seasons.

Down: Banged-up quarterback

Once again, Trevor Lawrence is preparing for another game while dealing with his fourth different injury in 2023.

First, it was the knee going into the New Orleans Saints game, then an ankle injury before the Cleveland Browns game.

He was in concussion protocol last week until he cleared that on Saturday, 24 hours prior to the Tampa Bay game.

Then against the Bucs, he hurt his right shoulder while being pushed out of bounds on a scramble play late in the third quarter.

The Jaguars need Lawrence’s body to heal quickly again as they fight for the AFC South division crown with the Houston Texans and Colts.

Up: Targeting No. 17

Despite his fourth quarter fumble when the game was out of hand, tight end Evan Engram has become a reliable target and is on the verge of becoming the third Jaguars’ player to reach the 100-catch mark. Engram’s 10 catches for 95 yards gives him 98 receptions for 824 yards.

Only the Jaguars’ all-time leading receiver, Jimmy Smith, has hit the century mark in catches. He set the record with 116 catches in 1999, then had 112 in 2001. At Engram’s current pace of 6.6 receptions per game, he would finish the season with 112.

Down: Second-guessing Pederson

When Lawrence hurt his shoulder on a fourth-down scramble play, the Jaguars were at midfield and trailing 30-0 with under three minutes left in the third quarter.

Yet head coach Doug Pederson said he never considered pulling his starting quarterback until Lawrence completed the Jaguars’ first touchdown drive five plays later, followed by the pain becoming unbearable after a failed two-point PAT pass.

Though it’s admirable Lawrence gutted it out for a little while, there wasn’t much to be gained by leaving him in the game facing a 30-point deficit.

Keeping Lawrence healthy as possible for the last two games is far more important than a garbage TD with the outcome pretty much decided.

Down: Team Giveaway

The Jaguars’ blatant disregard for taking care of the football, which head coach Doug Pederson has criticized more than any other issue during the team’s four-game losing streak, didn’t stop against Tampa Bay. Two Lawrence interceptions and a fumble, plus Evan Engram losing the ball after a 13-yard gain, gave the Jaguars 29 giveaways on the season, including 10 in the last three games. The Jaguars had only 22 turnovers all of last season.

Up: Walker sack totals

Remember last year when the Jaguars’ No. 1 overall pick from the 2022 draft, Travon Walker, was constantly being criticized for not having enough sacks and behind the Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson in that department (9.5-3.5) last season. Well, the Jaguars’ outside linebacker put Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield on the ground to give him a respectable seven sacks on the season. That’s a half-sack more than Hutchinson, which is easy to overlook with the Jaguars mired in a four-game losing streak and the Lions winning their first division title since 1993.

Down: Playing uphill

When the Jaguars allowed the first of two touchdown passes from Mayfield to Mike Evans to fall behind 10-0, it marked the third consecutive game the Jaguars trailed by double digits. They can’t expect to snap a four-game losing streak if the Jaguars fail to get off to fast starts. The Jaguars haven’t held a lead since going up 28-21 late in the third quarter on the Cincinnati Bengals three weeks ago.

Down: Grounded running game

The Jaguars hit their lowest point all season trying to run the ball, which has been a huge problem for the last two months due mostly to insufficient blocking up front.

The Jaguars had season lows in rush attempts (13) and yards (37), with their only success coming after they were down 30-0 and Lawrence had three scrambles for 29 yards.

Travis Etienne was a non-factor with just 12 yards on six carries. During the team’s four-game losing streak, Etienne has 41 carries for 123 yards (3.0 average) and two touchdowns.

Up: Outside assistance

After getting no help last week in the AFC standings when the Jaguars were the only contender to lose, they got assistance Sunday where it was most needed when the Houston Texans lost at home 36-22 to the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts fell 29-10 on the road to the Atlanta Falcons.

That kept the 8-7 Jaguars in a three-way tie for first place with Houston and Indianapolis and they own the tiebreakers against both division rivals.

If the Jaguars beat the 2-13 Carolina Panthers at home next week, while the Colts lose to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Texans to the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars would clinch their second straight AFC South title.

Down: Disappearing momentum

While the Jaguars are still in the No. 4 seed position in the AFC, their standing is tenuous.

Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay and a win by the New England Patriots over the Denver Broncos means the Jaguars now have the NFL’s longest losing streak at four games, coming at the most important time of the season.

While the Jaguars should be favored in their last two matchups with Carolina and Tennessee, and wins there would give them the AFC South crown, it’s hard to feel upbeat about their chances with Lawrence hurting and team confidence eroding.

If the Jaguars can get left tackle Cam Robinson back playing from injured reserve next week, that would be beneficial.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Not many bright spots outside of tackle machine Oluokun in Jaguars' defeat