Did Jaguars Find the Blueprint For Season Turnaround?

The Jacksonville Jaguars won their first game of the season on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. However, they may have walked away with much more than just a win.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) tackles Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Running the ball has been a significant emphasis for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. Although they started the season 0-4, they were one of the top rushing teams in the National Football League. The Jaguars used their run game to help take some pressure off quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has struggled this season.

Jaguars Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor says the run game is based on the matchups the Jaguars’ offense gets from opposing defenses. He noted that the game script he draws up weekly plays a role in what the offense does on game day.

“I think it's like anything,” Taylor said. “We're going to evolve as the season goes, and every game is different based on the matchups, the presentation from the defense, where they're playing man, or they're playing zone or the high-pressure team, but also the game script dictates a lot of how you're going to play. 

“We were very efficient on first and second down the other day, able to kind of stay in those manageable, normal-down, distant situations where, some games we've been behind, and you end up throwing the ball a lot more, or you're not as efficient on first down. You're in a lot of these second and long situations where, you know, a four-yard run may not be as beneficial to you on second and ten as, say second and five. 

Taylor credited the offense with executing the game plan appropriately, helping lead the team to its first win. He noted how efficient the offense was against the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor elaborated on two big runs by the Jaguars. 

“So, there's a lot of those situations where I thought we were just very efficient with whatever we did,” Taylor said. “Whether it was the quick-pass game, the screen game we had the other day against the Colts as well. It was just staying on track, and then it helps you want to stick with the run game because it was, honestly, it was a grimy run game.

“We had two big runs that kind of broke it open and set our numbers. But for the most part, I just thought we were pretty efficient. There weren't a lot of pretty ones. Tank [RB Tank Bigsby] kind of made that one happen late in the game. The 19-yard touchdown, that was great. It lined up well for us. They were in a shell coverage. We were in a bigger set. We did a great job getting the run started, and then everybody just did a great job finishing the run.”

“That was the cool part to see about that particular play. But other than that, it was two yards here, three yards here, maybe four yards here, but we were able to stick with it and finally break off those two big ones late.”

The Jaguars'season looked like it was all but over heading into last Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. However, things change fast in the NFL, and the Jaguars are not dead yet.

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