After the first seven weeks, the Jacksonville Jaguars sit with a 4-3 record as they start the second half of the NFL season. Going forward, the squad has some premium schedule luck on their side. With their last ten games being against teams with a joint record of 27-33. This stretch will include some of the most important matchups against division rivals. They’ll play the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans twice each.
The Jaguars have big challenges ahead of them that they must overcome. Overcoming these challenges are necessary for them to be true playoff contenders. Things like second half penalties, nonexistent pass rush and repeated missed kicks have become cupboard cornerstones for the once mighty franchise. When players such as Travis Hunter are suddenly becoming key players on both offense and defense, the future looks bright for the next few weeks.
Schedule and Opponents
The Jaguars’ upcoming schedule appears manageable, with only three opponents currently holding winning records: the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Chargers. This creates a golden opportunity for the Jaguars to find a rhythm as they make their push for the playoffs.
What’s more, running through division rivals such as the Colts and Titans could have an enormous effect on their playoff seeding in the ever-tough AFC South. These pairings are usually hotly contested and can change the course of a season. The Jaguars will have to make hay in these games to put a stranglehold on their spot in the division.
“We cannot, absolutely not, go back and try to reinvent the wheel here,” – Coach Liam Coen
This approach makes it possible to focus on what kids have done well instead of reworking their entire game plan. With a favorable schedule ahead, the Jaguars must leverage this opportunity to improve their performance on the field.
Addressing Penalties and Mental Errors
Yet aside from injuries, one of the more worrisome issues for the Jaguars has been their inability to avoid penalties. In each of those other games, they’ve been penalized 23 times over the last three games, killing drives on offense and completely demoralizing their side of the ball. And as Coach Coen pointed out, you can’t be making these mistakes if you want to win.
“Penalties, mental errors, they’re going to show up. It’s just the nature of the game… when you add all those up it becomes way too many and the negatives just decrease your chances of continuing drives and scoring on drives by astronomical numbers every time you get one.” – Robert Hainsey
Improving Pass Rush and Offensive Execution
Even as the Jaguars’ offense revived on a national stage, the making of a consistent and complicated pass-rush remains one of Jacksonville’s most-honored tests. Through seven weeks, they have only recorded eight sacks, placing them among the league’s worst teams in pressuring opposing quarterbacks. This shortcoming may be fatal as they should encounter much more potent offenses in the games ahead.
“If we’re able to do it on third downs and get after the quarterback and impact the receivers and the coverage, we’ve got to find ways to do it as well a little bit better on first and second down. But yeah, it [the pass rush] has to improve just like the rest of it.” – Coen
Coen’s admission that the team had not been good enough in this regard highlights how vital improvement in this aspect is. Josh Hines-Allen is currently on pace for half a sack and 27 pressures. For Jacksonville to improve its defense, he has to take his game to a higher level.
Beyond shoring up their pass rush, getting the execution on offense will be paramount. On top of that, the Jaguars had to deal with dropped passes and missed kicks, making their uphill climb all the more daunting. If, say, Brian Thomas Jr. is your best pass catcher, yet he’s tied for the NFL lead with five drops through Week 7.
“Operation, penalties, missed assignments, those are all things that are super controllable as a group and as individuals.” – Hainsey
As Hainsey notes, those are the kinds of issues that should be entirely in a team’s control. By remedying these basic mistakes, they can increase their likelihood of success. This dramatic improvement has allowed them to compete as much as they have the rest of the season.
The Role of Travis Hunter
One shining star for the Jaguars has been the emergence of their two-way stud Travis Hunter as an offensive playmaker. From their week 3 match up against the Rams, he was a team high in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. His emergence as a downfield weapon not only gives Lee much-needed support, but it takes the burden off of Lions’ QB and offensive personnel.
Hunter is anticipated to be even more of a key player in the future. His presence alone might be enough to jumpstart an offense that’s been inconsistent and at-times ineffective this season. The Jaguars are going to need him to keep this trajectory if they want to start winning high-pressure games in the playoffs.
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