This Small Change Will Spark More Wins For Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a subtle but critical change to their game plan on Sunday. It could be a change worth keeping.

Oct 20, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs in a touchdown in the second half during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images / Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

At 1-5, the Jacksonville Jaguars entered their game against the New England Patriots needing to make significant changes. However, very few changes can be made to a team in the middle of the season that do not revolve around firing a coach or benching players.

The Jaguars decided to do neither and instead tweaked one of their on-field tendencies. 

“You go into a work week like this week, and we're going to have a certain amount of runs in the game plan,” Jaguars offensive lineman Mitch Morse said. “Those runs each have a personnel package – it's going to be a big personnel or little personnel. Then what can you expect from those personnel? We expect this personnel package to bring out base defense or this to bring out nickel, just off of tendencies from the defense. 

Morse emphasized that the Jaguars had worked hard during the week in preparation for the Patriots. The Jaguars thoroughly prepared for anything and everything the Patriots wanted to do on Sunday.

Jacksonville’s preparation, in combination with their execution on the field, led to their best performance all season.

The Jaguars used their knowledge of the Patriots' tendencies to help switch up their tendencies. The Jaguars had rushed the ball at least 20-25 times a game this season, but Sunday against the Patriots, they only ran the ball 15 times.

This helped Jacksonville keep New England off-balance as the Jaguars rushed for a season-high 171 yards while running the ball the fewest times they have in any game this season. 

“The Patriots are a very multiple-defensive front,” Morse said. “That's what they've done for years and they're very good at it, so for us for that game plan, let's just try to have a little bit fewer. It wasn't like a crazy scaleback, but it was a scaleback.”

“Then, go through every single situation that might come about, so that when we get to that play call, we know that we've seen and repped, and throughout the week, as many as we can assume are going to come out in that defensive front. It just gives you more of an opportunity to go through more scenarios from less runs.”

Morse made many valid points, as the Jaguars dominated nearly every facet of the game. The Jaguars beat the Patriots so soundly that Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said the Patriots played like a “soft football team.” For the first time this season, the Jaguars did to another team what usually happens to them, and it could be a turning point for the Jaguars. 

The Jaguars have a challenging schedule, with matchups against the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles on the horizon. Still, they are just an upset win or two away from salvaging their season. While the 2-5 start will likely be too much for the Jaguars to overcome, they can still respectably finish the season.

Jacksonville’s schedule remains difficult after their matchup against the Packers and Eagles. While the game plan may change weekly, the Jaguars may have figured out one of the changes they need to make to continue their success on offense this season.

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