Jets 26, Jaguars 21: 5 Observations on the Week 16 Loss
The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost -- again. The last two years have seen the Jaguars go 3-28, and Sunday's 26-21 loss to the New York Jets was the icing on the cake of futility and failure that has become the Jaguars in recent years.
The Jaguars, of course, had more than their fair share of chances to win Sunday's game. Instead, self-inflicted mistakes and missed opportunities resulted in the Jaguars' seventh consecutive loss, this one potentially more maddening than any of its predecessors.
So, what did Sunday's loss to the Jets mean for the Jaguars moving forward and today? We break it all down below.
James Robinson's Achilles injury hangs over the loss like a black cloud
Today's game didn't mean anything for the Jaguars in the long-term outside of positioning for the 2022 NFL Draft -- or at least it wasn't supposed to. In what was the definition of a meaningless game, the Jaguars suffered one of the worst possible scenarios and saw star running back James Robinson leave the game in the first quarter with a torn achilles, an injury which took place on a non-contact play. While a loss on Sunday means nothing to the Jaguars, seeing Robinson go down with a potentially serious long-term injury is the definition of a gut punch.
Simply put, there are few players in Jacksonville's locker room who command the respect that Robinson does -- from coaches, teammates, and defenses around the league. Robinson had already been dealt a tough hand this season with his Week 8 heel/knee injury and Urban Meyer's general misuse and mistreatment of him, but Sunday's injury was worse than all of that. Seeing Robinson crumble to the ground in pain after simply taking a step forward was a shock to the system for the Jaguars because there are few players who mean more to the team both in the present and in the future.
With Robinson sustaining the potentially devastating injury, the Jaguars now have each of their top-two running backs dealing with season-ending injuries with Travis Etienne also sustaining a lisfranc injury earlier this season. Add in the fact that Carlos Hyde isn't a long-term piece of the offense and the Jaguars' are suddenly in trouble at the running back position, though that seems minor in terms of importance considering the human element of Robinson's injury.
Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson each made their fair share of offensive plays -- the lack of defensive plays made by the Jaguars proved to be the difference
Sunday's bout between Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson was always going to create an avalanche of hot takes. No matter how the game played out, the winner would be applauded while the loser would continue to face the scrutiny of a losing and unproductive season. Unfortunately for Lawrence, he and the Jaguars came up just short in a game in which his counterpart scored two touchdowns, putting Lawrence under the microscope.
But despite all of this, it is important to still actually examine how the quarterback's played within the confines of their offense. Lawrence did a good job of executing the aggressive passing attack the Jaguars drew up, missing on just a handful of short tosses. Lawrence's fumble in the Jaguars' own territory was an abysmal play, but he also made a number of impressive throws in critical situations to lift the Jaguars' offense.
Wilson, to his own credit, made several giant plays with his legs and also hurt the Jaguars as a passer on third-down. Wilson didn't complete any deep passes or threaten the Jaguars on a consistent down-to-down basis, but he did give the Jets new life on drives they needed it the most.
And hence the difference in Sunday's game. Each of Wilson and Lawrence made their fair share of plays and mistakes. The Jets capitalized from Lawrence's mistakes, such as his fumble, a few sacks, and the mess that was the game's final few plays. The Jaguars, meanwhile, missed on several chances to sack Wilson and dropped three interceptions, including one on the Jets' first touchdown drive of the game. Had the Jaguars' defense made just one play on Sunday, Lawrence likely gets the win, which just goes to show how delicate wins and losses are.
Andre Cisco impresses in his first start
What exactly took the Jaguars so long to get Andre Cisco on the field? That is a question that had been asked over and over to the Jaguars' coaching staff all season long, and the answer didn't even change until Rayshawn Jenkins sustained a season-ending ankle injury last week. Jenkins' injury led to Cisco -- this year's No. 65 overall pick -- making the first start of his young NFL career on Sunday, and Cisco did nothing to imply he shouldn't have been on the field much, much earlier.
As far as first starts go, Cisco's went about as well as one could imagine. He made a terrific play on the ball to nearly intercept Wilson on the first drive of the game, giving the Jaguars a much-needed boost of momentum in the secondary. He then prevented a Jets touchdown at the end of the first half by stopping Tevin Coleman short of the goal line with a tackle that prevented Coleman from gaining any yards after contact. Cisco didn't get 100% of the snaps, but he did impress in the limited role he had.
The Jaguars' 2021 will now pivot entirely to the search for a new head coach
Anything can happen on any Sunday, but Week 16 was for all intents and purposes the end to the Jaguars' 2021 season. There are two more games left to be played against playoff teams (Patriots and Colts), but if the Jaguars couldn't beat the Texans and Jets, then their chances over the next few weeks are marginal at very best. As such, these last two weeks are more less playing out the string on results that many have already accepted.
With that being the case, that means the final two weeks are about one thing in Jacksonville and one thing only: the head coach search. The Jaguars are expected to kick off the search process as the season draws to a close, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting the team has expressed interest in speaking to both Jim Caldwell and Doug Pederson. The next two weeks have to be played, but make no mistake that the head coaching search updates will be more key than any updates on the lineup for the next two weeks. The Jaguars season is over and the search is on.
Jaguars' need for speed on the edge of their defense entering 2022 is even more pressing now than before
The Jaguars were obviously put in a bad spot on the defensive line when their top pass-rusher and athlete -- Josh Allen -- was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Still, it was jarring to see just how much the Jaguars lacked in terms of open field speed and quickness up front. Wilson was able to run out of pressure and pick up free yards with ease in large part because players like Jihad Ward, Dawuane Smoot, and K'Lavon Chaisson don't have the athleticism to limit mobile quarterbacks.
Thankfully for the Jaguars, this year's draft presents several top pass-rushing talents who have the speed to bring an improved edge presence to Jacksonville. The Jaguars need to find more pass-rushers who can win one-on-ones, but they also need to find defenders who won't look lost in the open field against a player like Wilson. The Jaguars' defensive line looked slow today and that is an area the Jaguars must make a point to improve upon next season.
