Ravens 23, Jaguars 7: 5 Observations on Sunday Night Football Loss

The Jaguars dropped their third game in a row on Sunday night, leaving them in a sticky situation moving forward.

For what seems like the story of the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2023 season, the Jaguars have beaten themselves yet again. 

"That's the head scratcher. That's the frustrating part. Again, we can't get out of our way. That's the frustrating part because we do some really good things, and then it's a play two or here and there that keep us from scoring," Doug Pederson said on Sunday.

The latest maddening loss was a 23-7 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. What did we see in the mistake-filled affair?

Trevor Lawrence played sloppy football, especially in the first half

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has had better nights. Lawrence has frequently put the offense -- and the franchise -- on his back during his three-year career. But under the lights on Sunday, he made two of the sloppiest plays of his career in a critical scoreless first half. 

The first came on the heels of two other mistakes (a false start by Evan Engram and a drop by Parker Washington), with Lawrence being forced into a hero ball situation as a result. Still, that doesn't excuse the baffling lack of awareness and ball security Lawrence displayed as he scrambled for yards and simply dropped the football, taking anywhere from three to seven points off the board. 

The second was on the final play of the first half. After a stellar 36-yard completion to Zay Jones, Lawrence and the Jaguars opted to run a play with the clock running. Lawrence completed a one-yard pass to Washington, who wasn't able to get out of bounds. The half ended and the Jaguars left points on the board for the fourth time in the half. 

Maybe it wasn't Larence's fault. Maybe he was instructed to make that throw under any circumstances. But not opting for a throw to the end-zone -- in that moment -- is something veteran quarterbacks don't do. 

"We're going to stay aggressive. We've scored before in those situations. It was just a mistake, I think, by Trevor [Lawrence], obviously, knowing the situation and knowing how much time is left right there," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game.

"It's a great learning experience for us from the standpoint of don't throw it inbounds to be tackled in that situation. We're learn from that one, but just another great opportunity for us to try to get in the end zone."

Lawrence's concussion has become the biggest storyline surrounding the franchise

While Lawrence was struggling for much of Sunday night, it is his post-game entrance into the concussion protocol that could potentially define the Jaguars' season. A handful of players have played the week after being placed in protocol, but for most players, it means at least one game will be missed. With the Jaguars not able to afford a single loss in the next three weeks, this makes next week's road trip to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all the more critical. 

This isn't to say that there is no chance that Lawrence plays, but this is the last thing the 8-6 Jaguars needed. Other than Sunday night's loss, Lawrence more often than not has been the glue that has held the Jaguars' together, especially on offense. Without the athletic and big-armed quarterback, the entire complexion of the Jaguars as an offense and as a team changes dramatically. 

Brandon McManus has played himself onto thin ice

Brandon McManus was playing excellent football up until Week 12. He went seven weeks without a single missed field goal an scored 12 of the Jaguars' 20 points in the rain in Week 8's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the highlight of his season. But since the fourth quarter vs. the Houston Texans in Week 12, McManus has fallen on hard times. 

McManus has now missed a field goal in three of the last four games: one in the fourth quarter against the Texans, one against the Cincinnati Bengals that helped decide the outcome, and two against the Baltimore Ravens that put the Jaguars in a 10-0 hole at halftime. McManus has become inconsistent and unreliable, which is the last thing any team needs from its kicker, especially a veteran one.

Jacksonville's issues playing at EverBank Stadium have become mystifying 

The Jaguars will enter their final home game of the season with a 2-5 record in front of their fans at EverBank Stadium. This includes a three-game stretch against the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens where the Jaguars only scored one touchdown. Add in a self-inflicted blowout vs. the Houston Texans in Week 3 and the Monday Night Football nightmare vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Jaguars have had some stinging losses at home. 

Considering the Jaguars seemed to play most of their best football at home last year, it doesn't make much sense. Jaguars fans have shown up. They have made noise. Despite being beaten down by national pundits over the years, Jaguars fans have done their job this year. It is too bad for them that the same can't be said for the on-field product.

The defense did its job for most of the night

It is hard to put much blame on the defense for this loss, even if they did allow 20 points (we won't put Justin Tucker's final three points on them). The Jaguars' offense and Brandon McManus left anywhere from 12-16 points on the board in the first half alone when you factor in the two missed field goals, Lawrence's fumble in the red-zone, and the team's failure to turn the final drive of the half into points. 

Despite this, the score was just 10-7 entering the fourth quarter. With the points that the Jaguars consistently gave away, there is no questioning that the only reason this game remained close for any period of time was the play of the defense, which had its best performance since Week 11.

"I felt the defense really came to play. Kind of kept them down. Did some good things in the first half. Obviously, I think it was the third quarter Baltimore did the Baltimore things," Pederson said. 

"They began running the football, and those were the things that kind of started to show up in the third quarter. They rattled off a couple of big runs. I thought for the most part defense kept us in the game, kept us close and did some good things for us."