No Moral Victories: 5 Observations on Jaguars' 24-20 Loss to Packers

Why we think the Jaguars win that game in 2021, why moral victories don't exist inside TIAA Bank Field this season, and other observations on the latest Jaguars loss.

It feels like this gets repeated each week: the Jaguars enter a game as major underdogs, go into halftime with a close score, fight hard for all four quarters, but just barely lose.

Such was the case the last two games and such was the case in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. With the loss, the 1-8 Jaguars have now lost eight consecutive games and will not have a record of better than .500 for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. 

So, what did we learn from the loss in Green Bay? Do close losses really mean anything for the Jaguars at this point? We break this all down here.

This may sound like a broken record, but the young players showed the future is bright 

I get it, I get it. After nearly a decade of Jaguars fans being told "the future is bright because of the team's young talent", it is likely the last thing anyone wants to hear after what is bound to be another double-digit loss season. But as anyone who watched today's game will tell you, that is exactly the primary takeaway the Jaguars should walk away from this game with. Despite being down multiple starters on both sides of the ball due to injuries, the Jaguars walked into a Lambeau Field and had the 7-2 Packers and one of the best quarterbacks of all-time on the ropes -- solely because of their young talent. 

From CJ Henderson, to Josh Allen, to DaVon Hamilton, to Myles Jack, to James Robinson, the Jaguars had countless players 25-years-old or younger who made giant plays in Sunday's game. Add in the impacts from fourth-year veterans Sidney Jones and Keelan Cole, and the future should look bright for the Jaguars. They keep coming up short in big moments, but the team's young talent is getting better each week and keeping the Jaguars in games they'd otherwise lose handily. 

If the Jaguars had average quarterback play for four quarters, they likely win 

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said after the game that he thought rookie quarterback Jake Luton played well, but it is hard to share that opinion -- at least off the first viewing of the game. Luton still did some of the things he did well the week before, such as make good decisions and showing off good arm strength. For instance, his touchdown pass to Keelan Cole in the third quarter was an absolute dart that many quarterbacks likely wouldn't have the arm to complete.

With that said, Luton was simply not good enough for the Jaguars to win. Other than his lone touchdown drive, Luton was too inaccurate and too inconsistent dealing with pressure to give the Jaguars a chance. He completed just 51.5% of his passes, giving him a -20 completion percentage over expectation mark. Add in a meager 4.8 yards per attempt and only one completion that went for 20+ yards, and there is little reason to think the Jaguars don't win that game with a better quarterback. Luton is a rookie who was making his first road start, of course, but the fact remains that this would likely be a win in 2021.

No shame in losing close games but moral victories still won't exist for those on the field each Sunday 

For a young Jaguars team that was never likely to win much in 2020, a four-point road loss to one of the NFL's better teams could be seen as a positive in a lot of ways. The aforementioned strong play from the team's youthful core is another glaring positive. For a Jaguars team that just isn't good enough to win these kinds of games, there isn't much shame in today's result.

But this is the NFL. No matter the game, the season, the circumstances or anything else, there are only two results: winning and losing. While the fact remains that losing could actually help the Jaguars in the long-run due to the fact that it would likely help them land a franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, this doesn't change the pain and hurt that every member of the organization feels when they lose. 

If heads roll after this season and a new coaching staff and/or front office is brought in, nobody involved will think about moral victories or close games. The NFL is a results-oriented business, a lesson the Jaguars are learning the hard way.

Aaron Rodgers is just that good -- but the defense was still encouraging 

Jacksonville's defense allowed the second-fewest points it has allowed all season on Sunday, limiting the Packers to 24 points on 12 drives (not counting the final drive of the game that had kneel downs). Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams still made their huge, game-changing plays, as they do every single week, but the Jaguars defense showed more energy and more teeth this week than it has in any of its previous games, limiting the Packers to 80 rushing yards (3.2 yards per carry) and forcing two turnovers.

"Honestly, yeah, we just came to play today, [had] a lot of energy. Like you just said, [we had] a lot of effort and guys just came out there ready to roll. We didn’t want the weather to kind of be an excuse for us, so you know we were just jacked up, pumped," safety Jarrod Wilson said after the game. 

Rodgers still outdid the Jaguars' defense and Todd Wash when it mattered, but for much of the game the Jaguars had the future Hall of Fame passer flustered and saying a few four-letter words that we can't repeat in this space. The defensive effort once against wasn't good enough, but the Jaguars played the Packers' offense as well as anyone else has all season. Moving forward, that has to be considered a big positive. 

Keelan Cole deserves these moments

After a great rookie season in 2017, Keelan Cole fell by the wayside in Jacksonville. 2018 and 2019 saw him produce few big plays and only play sparingly. He had to fight through some drops and fumbling issues, but it was clear in 2019 that he was an improved player who deserved a shot. For two years that shot didn't come, but it has in 2020. Under Jay Gruden's offensive scheme, Cole has risen to become a full-time starter for the first time since his rookie season. On Sunday, he paid off the Jaguars' faith in him by scoring each of the team's touchdowns, becoming the first Jaguars player to ever score on a punt return and a receiving touchdown in the same game.

For a player who has worked as hard as he has over the last four years, and has fought as much adversity as he has, it is hard to not feel good for Keelan Cole. After his time in Jacksonville looked like it was drawing to a close on more than one occasion over the years, Cole's work-ethic and talent have turned him into one of the offense's best players. Cole deserves moments like today, even if he had to wait on it.


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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.