5 Observations on Jaguars' Lopsided Loss to Buffalo Bills

What did we see out of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the worst loss of the Doug Pederson era in a 47-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football?

Sep 23, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is congratulated by Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson after a game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are back in the NFL cellar.

After fighting for respect across the league during the early stages of the Doug Pederson regime, the Jaguars are in a complete tailspin at 0-3. And they have hit their lowest low yet with a 47-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

So, what did we see during the latest Jaguars loss? We break it down below.

The Jaguars are getting worse by the week

The Jacksonville Jaguars were able to cope with their Week 1 loss by saying they had the Miami Dolphins on the ropes before an untimely Travis Etienne fumble.

They coped with Week 2's loss to the Cleveland Browns by saying they were just one failed red-zone trip away from winning. This week, though, there is no sunshine to pump and no bright sides to be found.

Simply put, the Jaguars are getting worse every single week. Part of this is surely due to injuries; the Jaguars are down three cornerbacks and their starting tight end, and they also lost their starting right tackle during the contest.

But the defense is a shell of what we saw in Week 1 and the offense has officially regressed in terms of points with every game this season.

What is the concern level with Trevor Lawrence?

For the second week in a row, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence had one of the worst games of his career. Lawrence looked unsure of himself from the first drive of the game when he went 1-of-3 for one yard.

His accuracy was off throughout the contest, his pocket presence took another step back, and he threw one of the worst interceptions of his career to Demar Hamlin.

Lawrence is still the talented gun-slinger the Jaguars are building their franchise around, but he is not playing like the confident quarterback that he has been during his best periods of play. Whether he is the main issue with the offense is irrelevant.

What does matter is that Lawrence is playing some of the worst football of his career.

The most underperforming unit

When a team is 0-3, there are a lot of reasons why and a lot of flaws up and down the roster. But looking at this Jaguars team, there is one unit that is certainly not playing up to the standards and expectations that were set ahead of Week 1: the defensive line.

The Jaguars have poured plenty of resources into the unit, but Monday was the summarization of what has been a disappointing season.

The Jaguars struggled to get after Josh Allen all night, with Allen freely scrambling and making off-platform throws without much issue.

The Jaguars only recorded one quarterback hit all night and it came from second-round rookie Maason Smith. Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen, and Arik Armstead is too talented of a trio to get blanked like that.

Should the Jaguars consider changes on defense?

It may be time for the Jaguars to consider serious changes to their core defensive philosophies. The Jaguars play man coverage at the highest rate of any team in the league, but the Jaguars may not have the horses to continue to do so until they get healthier on defense.

As things stand today, the Jaguars are missing three of their top five cornerbacks in Tyson Campbell, Darnell Savage, and Jarrian Jones.

The Jaguars tried to stay true to their identity on Monday, but the Bills had easy answers and man-beaters at every step of the way.

As long as the Jaguars are playing with a patch-work secondary, they should consider moving away from their man-heavy approach and perhaps look at running more zone on defense.

Offensive line remains a serious issue

While the Jaguars' defense only touched Allen on one occasion, the same can not be said for the Bills' defense and Trevor Lawrence. The most scrutinized unit on the team has been the offensive line for two seasons now, and that perception won't change with nights like Monday.

The Jaguars allowed five sacks, one forced fumble, and a staggering nine quarterback hits. The offensive line questions are only amplified with performances like Monday's.

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