Jaguars fall 34-27 to Panthers: 5 observations
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be leaving Charlotte with a 2-3 record after losing 34-27 to the Carolina Panthers (3-2) on Sunday, a tough pill to follow after winning two games in a row previously.
From Gardner Minshew's gutsy performance to the lack of any run defense, what are the main takeaways we can have?
1) Gardner Minshew had his rookie game ... in an almost 400-yard performance?
Gardner Minshew had a good bit of issues on Sunday. From completing only 59.1% of his passes to fumbling three times (though we will address one of those later), Minshew had, by all accounts, his rookie game, and the Panthers benefited from it by turning two of those fumbles into touchdowns.
But even with his issues, Minshew still threw for 374 yards and two touchdowns and, once again, gave the Jaguars a chance to win the game at the end. He helped bring them back from a 21-7 deficit and kept the offense moving on the final two offensive possessions of the game, even if one resulted in a fumble and one resulted in a hail mary falling to the ground incomplete.
Minshew was never going to be mistake-free in every game. But the fact that he made plenty of mistakes on Sunday and the Jaguars still had a chance to win the ball game is something the Jaguars haven't had at the quarterback position in a long, long time.
2) Jacksonville's linebackers are a liability and every opposing team knows it
When the Denver Broncos needed a big third down conversion in week 4, they typically targeted linebackers Myles Jack and Quincy Williams in coverage. And when the Panthers needed a big play on Sunday, they targeted the same two players with counter runs and by spreading star running back Christian McCaffrey out wide.
Simply put, Jack and Williams are not getting it done for Jacksonville with their up and down play. Williams has had his fair share of flashes but he looked lost on Sunday. Williams can use the rookie excuse for now, however. The player who can't is Jack, someone the Jaguars made a large financial commitment to before the season started with a massive contract extension.
From poor run fits to simply looking too unaware, the Jaguars linebackers were putrid on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, this has more often than not been the case for the 2019 defense, and opposing offenses are picking up on it.
3) DJ Chark is a bonafide #1 wide receiver
8 catches. 164 yards. Two touchdowns. Multiple highlight reel catches. On Sunday, DJ Chark did it all.
Chark has exceeded every expectation set for him in his second season and his five touchdowns through the season's first five weeks has proven he is the team's unquestioned top wideout. To put things in perspective, the Jaguars leaders in touchdown catches in 2017 and 2018 each only had five. Chark has matched that in less than a month-and-a-half.
Chark will be the first person to tell you he had a rough rookie season. But he has blossomed from that poor stretch of play into a legitimately great receiver.
4) The lack of any turnover luck continues to hurt Jacksonville
The Jaguars went a full game without forcing a defensive turnover for the fourth time this season, but once again it was more bad luck than anything. Kyle Allen, who came into the game with massive fumbling issues, stayed true to himself and let the ball hit the ground twice, but the Jaguars could not land on either (though one would have been nullified due to penalty even if it was).
Along with that, Sunday proved to be a game of inches as Tre Herndon nearly had his first career interception in the game's final two minutes, but a review overturned it to incomplete after the ball just barely hit the turf.
As for the Jaguars offense, they had just as much turnover disarray. Gardner Minshew fumbled it three times and not only was each fumble recovered by the Panthers, but one was returned for a touchdown, and another was recovered in Jaguars territory.
The Jaguars have had awful luck with turnovers all season and the issue has been present in all three of their losses in 2019. But it was maybe most present this Sunday.
5) The Andrew Norwell experience needs to end sooner than later
As for the Gardner Minshew fumble that led to a Panthers touchdown, it largely was caused by highly-paid left guard Andrew Norwell being pushed into his own quarterback by defensive end Mario Addison, a player he outweighs by dozens of lbs.
Aside from the play where he was the reason the Panthers scored seven points, Norwell didn't have a good day otherwise either. He failed to pave a way for Leonard Fournette on a potentially huge run early in the game, while also giving up pressure to Gerald McCoy on several key third downs.
Norwell has not been the player at all that the Jaguars were hoping to get when they made him among the NFL's highest paid offensive lineman in 2018. He has his moments in the run game, but he too frequently looks like the worst pass blocker on the field. Sooner than later, he should be replaced by one of A.J. Cann or Will Richardson.
