'Just execute': Jaguars issues on third downs amounts to plain-old execution problems

The Jacksonville Jaguars' offense has seen its share of struggles through the first two weeks of the season.

Though the team has had some success, there have been some shortfalls, especially during the team's 17-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday.

Most of those issues come during the "money down," or third downs for Jacksonville where they are currently dead last in third-down conversion rate through two weeks of the season at a 25 percent third-down conversion percentage. Jacksonville converted 3-of-12 third downs against the Chiefs in Week 2 and the Colts in Week 1.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson stressed that it is only "Week 3" on Wednesday while clarifying, too, that the team has to rectify the issues soon because excusing the inefficiencies as "early in the season" can't last much longer.

Fourth-down blues: It's early but the Jaguars don't have the same magic on the money downs

"We have to improve, we have to look at it from a coaching standpoint. We got to look at the scheme, are we doing the right things? Is the defense giving us what we anticipated on tape? Are there some changes there? Because sometimes that happens and then we have to adjust in-game sometimes," Pederson said.

"I know it’s early, but we’re running out of the early excuse a little bit. We need to get it addressed pretty quick.”

The inefficiency has frustrated the team, especially with how they performed last week against the Chiefs. The Jaguars' defense allowed just 17 points to the defending Super Bowl champs. With that, the Jacksonville offense should have been able to pull off a victory.

"As an offense, we want to be the best, we want to move the ball," Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley said in the locker room Wednesday.

"When you go in a game like that and the defense plays like that versus the Super Bowl champs, and [with] the offense that we're supposed to be ... I'll tell you right now, all of us on offense, the starters, we're pissed off about that performance and that we couldn't come through for the team."

Do the Jaguars' offensive struggles really come down to execution?

The Jaguars' offense has been criticized since the start of the season. The team's glass was half full following their win against the Colts in which they scored 31 points while also turning the football over twice through the contest.

Much of that criticism has been levied against offensive coordinator Press Taylor, who is the team's primary play-caller this season after Pederson handed over the keys to the Ferrari not long after the season last year.

Still, the plays Jacksonville ran Sunday, by and large, can't be attributed to the play-calling itself, but really just execution as Jaguars players and coaches have already said throughout the week.

We took a look at each third down Jacksonville faced, what play was run and how the end result occurred.

Below are the third-down plays run with notations of drive number, play number within the drive, outcome of the play and the outcome of the drive. The plays listed includes an additional play than that of the team's 12 third-down conversion attempts due to needed added context:

Trevor Tracker: An updated look at Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence's 2023 stats

Drive: 1

• Play No.: 3

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-4

• Outcome of play: Completed pass to receiver Calvin Ridley for six yards. First down.

• Outcome of drive: Punt

Drive: 1

• Play No.: 7

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-6

• Outcome of play: Lawrence was sacked due to pressure by defensive lineman Chris Jones.

• Outcome of drive: Punt

Drive: 2

• Play No.: 3

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-5

• Outcome of play: Incomplete pass short to Calvin Ridley. Prior to third down, the Jaguars had a batted pass at the line of scrimmage and a bad snap resulting in an incomplete pass.

• Outcome of drive: Punt

Drive: 3

• Play No.: 5

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-9

• Outcome of play: Pass interference was called against the Chiefs, giving the Jaguars an automatic first down. An errant incomplete pass to Evan Engram on second down impacted the drive.

• Outcome of drive: Punt

Drive: 3

• Play No.: 8

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-2

• Outcome of play: Lawrence completed a pass to Christian Kirk for a one-yard gain.

• Outcome of drive: Punt

Drive: 4

• Play No.: 3

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-7

• Outcome of play: Incomplete to Zay Jones. Chiefs pressure by Karlaftis led to a misfire by Lawrence.

• Outcome of drive: Field goal made by Jacksonville

Drive: 6

• Play No.: 3

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-1

• Outcome of play: Neutral zone infraction, first down

• Outcome of drive: Turnover on downs

Drive: 6

• Play No.: 6

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-5

• Outcome of play: Lawrence completed pass to Jamal Agnew for five yards.

• Outcome of drive: Turnover on downs

Drive: 6

• Play No.: 11

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-11

• Outcome of play: Lawrence scrambles after pressure by Jones, gain of six yards. On second down, the Jaguars lost a yard due to a misfire on a double pass from Lawrence to Kirk to Travis Etienne.

• Outcome of drive: Turnover on downs.

Drive: 8

• Play No.: 3

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-10

• Outcome of play: Pass dropped by Kirk, incomplete.

• Outcome of drive: Punt

Drive: 9

• Play No.: 6

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-5

• Outcome of play: Lawrence incomplete to Evan Engram. Pass interference called against Chiefs. Automatic first down for Jacksonville.

• Outcome of drive: Field goal made.

Drive: 9

• Play No.: 9

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-4

• Outcome of play: Incomplete, intended for Zay Jones, back of the end zone.

• Outcome of drive: Made field goal.

Drive: 10

• Play No.: 7

• Down and distance: 3rd-and-10

• Outcome of play: Fumble on the play due to pass from Lawrence behind Tank Bigsby. Pressure caused by Jones.

• Outcome of drive: Turnover on downs.

A total of five third-down plays were impacted due to pressures or drops. Ultimately, the Jaguars' struggles have come down to execution as coaches and players have said throughout the week. The team's struggles — at times — on first and second down also influence the team's situation on the key money downs.

“Just not executing. That’s a broad term, but I feel like anything comes down to as far as critical situations," Lawrence said when asked about why the team has struggled on third downs.

"Whether it’s red zone or third down or anything, I think it’s a lack of execution and different spots at different times. We all have to do better at executing and being ready for any look that could show up. That’s on us of just communicating, when we’re on the field, we all got to communicate better."

In the locker room Wednesday, Jaguars tight end Evan Engram spoke candidly about the team's struggles on third down, first noting that being in a better position prior to third down would be a good start.

"There's a lot of instances in the game where we'll get behind the chains or we won't put ourselves in a good third-and-manageable distance," Engram said

On 14 out of 24 of the team's third-down attempts, the Jaguars have put themselves in third-and-five or greater distance, making it harder to convert the third downs in those instances.

"So, first and second down has to mean a little bit more to us and you have to execute better there to put us in a position to make it an easier third down to get," Engram added.

Not all of the team's drives have had struggles on first or second down. In fact, the Jaguars are one of the top teams in that area thus far this season. The issues boil down to the team's inability to make the right plays at the right time. That's why they're one of the worst teams this season thus far in three-and-out rates at 46 percent.

17 out of 25 of the team's drives thus far this season have resulted in a punt or turnover. That has got to change.

Still, the veteran tight end feels that no matter the distance, the team still has to work on execution.

"You just got to go out and just execute. It's little, small details too," he said. "Landmarks on routes, getting off on the snap, if we're helping with protection, do the right job of helping with protection. All the little things, all the little details, just got to be done at a higher level."

Engram's point was also echoed by Pederson during his Monday press conference. Though the team didn't practice well, which could have led to some issues on third down execution, the head coach said that he's not big on changing anything with practice just to change.

"We just got to get better with what we're doing. It falls on the coaches schematically, are we putting our players in those situations? Those are the things we have to address, and we have to look to make sure we have our best players on the field on offense and defense," Pederson said.

"You go back to the game on Sunday, we had too many second-and-long, eight plusses. We had 13 or 14 second-and-eight plusses. That tends to lead to third-and-long, that's hard. It doesn't matter who you're playing."

Those are all areas the Jaguars will focus on getting better this week. As Pederson noted several times throughout the press conference, though, it's only Week 3.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars third-down woes boils down to plain-old execution issues