The Biggest X-Factor That Has Derailed the Jaguars Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars just can't put a complete game together, which has led them to 2-6.

Oct 27, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) speaks to Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) after a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Sitting at 2-6, it is fair to say there are a lot of reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars are where they are.

Issues with turnovers, like the two that occurred in their own area of the field in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers. A leaky defense, an inconsistent offense, roster holes. The list could go on.

But in reality, there is one thing plaguing the Jaguars more than anything else. One thing that stands above any depth chart or coaching issues. And it reared its ugly head on Sunday.

Simply put, the Jaguars are in the middle of the third season of the Doug Pederson/Trent Baalke regime, and they still do not know how to play complementary football,

“Complementary football. I think that’s what it all is. We both have moments, big plays here and there to capitalize, defense gets a stop or the offense gets a touchdown, how do we respond as a defense?" Jaguars defensive end and captain Josh Hines-Allen said after Sunday's loss.

"I think that’s what we need to be better at because obviously play good football on both sides of the ball, we just have to complement each other a little bit better.”

Sunday's last-second loss to the Packers was a perfect example of this. In the Packers' first three drives, the Jaguars forced two punts and a red-zone interception. The offense, though, came out of the gate lifeless and punted twice and their their own interception shortly after the Packers threw theirs.

Twice the Jaguars' offense turned the ball over in their own territory. Two of the Packers' three touchdown drives were of 28 yards and five yards. The Jaguars offense simply didn't help their defense, which has already been in poor form.

Then when the Jaguars did put things together on offense, the defense fell apart. Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars on a game-tying touchdown drive with his entire starting receiving corps injured. Two plays later, the Packers hit a nearly 60-yard pass to get to the Jaguars' 15-yard line to set up an easy game-winning field goal.

“I think it’s just having that confidence of everyone doing what they are supposed to do and everyone doing what they are supposed to do when somebody makes a play when the balls comes to them and vice versa," Hines-Allen said.

"I feel like, personally, when a big play was made and something happened to them, we had to respond. We’re not trying to figure it out, we’re just playing ball, but we’re not making…that one person at that particularly play is not making it. I don’t know. I’ve got to watch this tape. I know this one hurts and we’ve got to correct it.”

The Jaguars have improved in recent weeks. There is no denying that. If they played this Packers team a month ago, they likely get ran off the field.

But at the end of the day, the NFL is a results league. And with the Jaguars' offense and defense taking turns at holding the bag, the Jaguars are simply going to continue to find negative results.

“That's what kind of sucks as a player and being a part of the team is you see the team coming together, and where we're at the last few weeks, we really have, I felt like, come together and we're playing more complementary, and we're giving ourselves a chance," Trevor Lawrence said after the game.

"Obviously there were just too many mistakes today, and we didn't make enough plays at the end of the game to go win it. I do feel the team coming together but we just have to find a way to get to 3-6 and go win next week. We can't worry about what's going to come after that. We just gotta go take it one week at a time. That's the only way we're going to get out of the hole that we've put ourselves in."

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