Jaguars Roundtable: Will Jaguars' defense bounce back against Falcons?
Since a stunning 9-6 home victory against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, the Jaguars have lost two straight and four of their last five games.
Though the Jaguars defense has played respectable but allowed 171 yards rushing in last week's 30-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the offense continues to have the most problems from a lack of scoring, offensive line protection flaws and the receivers inability to get open.
Florida Times-Union staff writers John Reid and Garry Smits and sports columnist Gene Frenette conducted a roundtable discussion to discuss if the defense can bounce back against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday and what has to change for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the offense to become more effective.
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The Jaguars' defense struggled to stop the run against the 49ers. How do you think they will fare against the Falcons?
John Reid: The Falcons' offensive line is not as talented as the 49ers and they struggled in several areas. The Falcons are averaging just 79 yards rushing per game, which ranks as the third-lowest in the NFL. The Jaguars defensive front, especially the interior, will get a good push inside, fill the gaps that will enable linebackers Damien Wilson and Myles Jack to make a high rate of tackles. Falcons running back/wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, their leading rusher, missed last week game against New England because of an ankle injury. He could be questionable for Sunday.
Gene Frenette: A lot depends on how effective Cordarrelle Patterson, the Falcons’ offensive MVP so far, can be coming back from his ankle injury. Since Atlanta lost Patterson in the Dallas Cowboys game, followed by him missing the Thursday night matchup against the New England Patriots, it hasn’t scored a point in six quarters. The Falcons are 30th in rushing at a meager 78.6 yards per game because they don’t emphasize the run, averaging just 23 carries per game and 3.4 yards per rush. The Jaguars have held six of 10 opponents under 100 yards. With or without Paterson, I don’t expect Atlanta to crack the century mark.
Garry Smits: They should bounce back. The defense did such a good job against the run in the last month that I don't think it's going to be a trend in the other direction. Plus, the 49ers got the bulk of their rushing yards from wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who had 79 of the 171 rushing yards. Niners running backs only averaged 2.8 yards per carry. Was Cullen and his staff slow to adjust to Samuel? Sure. But the Falcons aren't coming in here with Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. They're next-to-last in the NFL with 78.6 yards per game, third-from-last in yards per carry at 3.4 and dead last in rushing touchdowns with four.
Trevor Lawrence has not thrown a touchdown pass in three games. What has to change for him to become more effective?
Reid: Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has to call more plays to create better matchup opportunities for their receivers. Perhaps, it could be a bunch set where receivers line up one side of the field. Two of the receivers run crossing routes, and the third goes deep. Another way to offset the defensive coverage would be to put a receiver in motion like Laviska Shenault to get him more isolated in single coverage with a linebacker. Most importantly, the receivers must do a better job getting open and holding onto the ball. Also, it would help tremendously for the offensive line to protect Lawrence better. The unit is not giving up a high rate of sacks, but Lawrence is getting pressured frequently. Under duress, he has to make quick reads and throws, and it has been a problem throughout their three-game losing streak.
Frenette: Honestly, it’s hard to have a lot of confidence in Trevor becoming a whole lot more effective finding paydirt because he has one of the NFL’s worst receiving corps. Plus, it’s not going to get better with speedster Jamal Agnew now lost for the season. This isn’t a complicated solution. It starts with receivers gaining better separation and avoiding drops. The lack of success on third down is a killer because the Jaguars don’t get many trips into the red zone, though four of Lawrence’s seven passing TDs have come from outside that area. The best hope here is GM Trent Baalke finding a credible weapon in free agency and taking advantage of a draft where there’s some promising-looking receivers.
Smits: Guys gotta get open. It's that simple. If they can't get open, start scheming them to get open. While NFL officials call pick plays more strictly than in college, Urban Meyer knows how to coach his coaches to run more of those patterns, especially in the red zone. And his laments that San Francisco was "bracketing" tight end Dan Arnold isn't an excuse for not even giving the guy who led your team in receiving in four of the previous six games a target. If he's triple-covered late in the game, force the dang ball in there. What's there to lose?
How would you rate the overall play of the tight ends unit after 10 games?
Reid: Dan Arnold, who was acquired in a trade with the Carolina Panthers in September in exchange for cornerback CJ Henderson, has been more impactful than any tight end the Jaguars have had in the past three seasons. He gets open and gains yardage after the catch. In four of the seven games he played since his arrival, he led the Jaguars in receiving. But beyond Arnold, the Jaguars' tight ends have not had much impact as pass catchers. Rookie tight end Luke Farrell has only six catches after 10 games and Chris Manhertz has only four catches. James O'Shaughnessy is close to returning from an ankle injury and could become an reliable target for Lawrence during the final stretch of the season.
Frenette: Thank goodness the Jaguars acquired Dan Arnold, who mysteriously had no targets in the 49ers’ loss, in a September trade with the Carolina Panthers. Otherwise, the tight end position would be little more than a glorified tackle. Arnold, a receiver in college, has 315 yards in seven games, compared to the other four tight ends having 191 yards combined. This has been a black-hole position for the Jaguars for too long, but Arnold could grow into a legitimate weapon. But the Jaguars should make an offseason investment in finding another TE target.
Smits: Arnold was one of the pleasant surprises of the season until the Jaguars offensive staff forgot he was on the team last week. But aside from him, it's been the usual black hole. Jacob Hollister, who once caught seven passes for 116 yards against the Jags in a preseason game when he was with New England, has been inactive the last four games. Chris Manhertz, while as good a blocker as advertised, is a penalty-flag machine. On a draft that was questionable after the first round, Luke Farrell might be the biggest head-scratcher. James O'Shaughnessy may return this week but he's just a poor man's Arnold and fits right in with the Jags' tendency to throw 8-yard passes on third-and-10.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars Roundtable: Will Jaguars' defense bounce back against Falcons?