Exponential Adjustments, Growth Could Be the Story in Week 2 For Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars did many things well in their loss to the Miami Dolphins. They aim to build upon those things heading into their Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) drops back to pass against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost a hard-fought game with the Miami Dolphins last week. Although the Jaguars played well for most of the game, they eventually lost on a late field goal.

The Jaguars entered this week of practice looking to build upon what they did well against the Dolphins and improve upon what they didn’t do well. 

Many NFL experts believe players experience the most growth during a season between the first and second week. Nielsen agrees but thinks that is especially the case for the younger players on the team.

Many got their first taste of live-action in the National Football League or got more playing time than they had previously, which Nielsen believes helped younger players’ confidence grow early in the season.

“Young players, especially, [greatly improve between the first and second weeks of the season.] Some guys have played in their first NFL football game against a really good team, really good opponent,” Nielsen said. “Some of the guys had some success, and now they're building on that, and they know, ‘Hey, I can play this game at this level.’ So that confidence is a huge thing that goes a lot with that.”

Nielsen says while some of the younger players gained confidence by gaining more playing time, other players may not have performed as well as they would have liked.

Nielsen notes that the week of practice has centered on getting better each day for those players. Nielsen and the defense aim to improve as much as possible before the team’s Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, as both teams will do all they can to get their first win of the season.

“Then some of the guys that, hey, maybe need to do a little bit better, maybe a little bit frustrated or disappointed in their performance,” Nielsen said. “So, they're really focused on this week and taking it one day at a time to not let that happen again. So, look for a big step from our defense just from one week to the next. It is, like you said, it's a huge—most teams, first week to second week, make that big jump. We're looking forward to the same thing.”

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