Jaguars in Dire Need of Offensive Reset After 49ers Loss
The Jaguars are now in the back half of the 2023 NFL season, yet still remain on the hunt for consistency on the offensive side of the ball. At times, the offense seems to move the ball effortlessly; other times, they seem as if they find themselves in quicksand, unable to find their footing.
This past weekend, the San Francisco 49ers came to town in search of a reset, losing three straight contests after a 5-0 start to their season. They found their groove early forcing four Jaguars’ turnovers in an ugly 34-3 contest in Jacksonville.
Now, the Jaguars are in need of a reset of their own. The team sits at 6-3, however, the offense has yet to hit their stride, failing to take advantage of opportunities to put teams away. On two occasions, the team has failed to find the endzone in games.
The team must ask themselves: what’s gone wrong with the offense, and how can it be remedied?
Let’s start by looking at the Jaguars’ success in key situations. I’ll give you a hint; it isn’t pretty. The Jaguars rank 25th (35.3%) in third-down conversion rate, 29th (33.3%) on 4th down, and 29th (43.5%) in the red-zone as well.
Third down has given the Jaguars fits all year long. The offense is averaging 5.37 and 5.43 yards on first and second downs respectively, however, that number plummets to a meager average of 3.98 yards on third down.
Parts of the fix to this issue can be found in the Jaguars’ offensive structure and use of their receivers. Calvin Ridley, the hopeful No.1 receiver, has had a wild roller coaster of a year. In three of his games, he has accumulated 306 yards. Alternatively, he has mustered a disappointing 165 yards in the other six contests.
The offensive scheme hasn’t aided the team’s ability to feed Ridley the ball. Ridley faces press coverage second most of any receiver and is given the fifth least amount of cushion pre-snap of any wide receiver per NFL Next Gen Stats. The Jaguars have failed to get creative in order to open up opportunities for Ridley, who is seemingly glued to an outside role without looks in the slot or in motion.
Jacksonville currently lacks a consistent third receiver. If a team takes away Ridley with tight or double coverage, the Jaguars quickly find themselves with just one real downfield receiving threat, Christian Kirk. Getting a third receiver more involved or getting creative with Ridley could help to really open up options for Press Taylor and company.
What about the red-zone? Why have the Jaguars had such a hard time finding the endzone? The answer is a two parter: turnovers and the lack of a red-zone target.
The team has struggled mightily recently with turnovers, especially inside the opponent’s territory. Through nine games, the Jags have given the ball away 11 times inside field goal position. In the last two weeks alone, the Jaguars have turned the ball over a whopping seven times, all inside the opponent's territory.
When asked about the turnovers, Doug Pederson replied, “You can't do that; you just can't do that. It's a matter of whoever has the football, take care of the football. That's your job. Bring it back to the huddle, let us play another down. We continue to stress it, our players continue to stress it. Until we figure that out, it's going to be, it's long, you just can't do that. Again, if you want to be a playoff team, you got to take care of the football.”
It isn’t just turnovers that are hindering the offense from scoring, however. The team lacks a contested catch receiver who can win inside the endzone.
Of Trevor Lawrence’s nine touchdown passes, four have come inside the 20-yard line. Two of those four have been to Zay Jones, who has played in just three games in 2023. His absence has left a huge void in the offense that the team has not come close to filling.
It’s unclear what the teams’ plans are moving forwards in regards to their third receiver. Tim Jones saw a fair amount of play this past weekend, however, things could change going forward with the uncertainty surrounding Zay Jones’ knee injury and his Monday arrest for misdemeanor domestic battery.
Simply put, the team is struggling on offense and haven’t put it all together at any point this season. It’s all too often that a great drive will end in a turnover deep in the opponent’s territory, shattering what momentum the team did have.
Pederson’s confident the team will bounce back, “If we can just eliminate or even minimize some of these mistakes that we’re making and shooting ourselves in the foot as we say, then it puts you in a better position to get into the fourth quarter and potentially win games. It’s also different being 6-3 than 3-6 or 3-7 as well. Sometimes too, you’ve got to play and you don’t worry about the record, you play as if your back is against the wall every day. You come out and give it your best shot.”
The answer will need to come from Pederson first, secondly Taylor, and lastly the players. The Jaguars have a great support system, a support system that can turn things around quickly. Luckily most of the team’s issues are self-inflicted. They will have to get more creative on offense and take care of the ball. If they can do that, this is a team that can find the Niners once again, but this time in the Super Bowl.
