This Unit was the Difference Between Win or Loss For Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered from poor offensive line play through the first four weeks. It came together against the Indianapolis Colts and the results were grand.

Sep 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line Anton Harrison (77), offensive line Brandon Scherff (68), and offensive line Mitch Morse (65) wait to line up for the drive against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

It was imperative that the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Jobs were on the line.

The 0-4 start was inexcusable, but an 0-5 record would have been the final nail. Head coach Doug Pederson needed a win and he got it, a 37-34 nail-biter that finally put his Jaguars in the "W" column. The key to victory was the offense.

The offense.

Perhaps the side of the ball that was most disappointing up until Week 5. The Jaguars had a good idea of what they were getting on the defensive side of the ball, so the struggles there weren't much of a shock.

But the offense?

Franchise quarterback, generational talent in Trevor Lawrence (worth $275 million, by the way). A running back tandem that showed promise, Travis Etienne Jr. and an emerging Tank Bigsby. Wide receiver weapons galore -- Christian Kirk, offseason signing Gabe Davis and first-round rookie Brian Thomas Jr.

And yet the offense could not execute. The problem was not just one thing. The play-calling was suspect, for one, and the offensive line, perhaps the weakest unit on the team outside of the cornerbacks room, struggled mightily.

Lawrence had defenders in his face nearly every snap and the run game could not get jumpstarted. That all changed on Sunday. Lawrence had a clean pocket and threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Bigsby had a career day, too.

For Pederson, all credit went to the offensive line's cohesion.

"The O-line played good as a group again yesterday," Pederson said Monday. "When you can rush the ball for 125-plus  yards, whatever it is, [RB Tank Bigsby] goes for 101. Things are beginning to, from a scheme standpoint, you're kind of getting back to your core stuff. Those five guys playing together, there's the continuity, there's the rhythm, there's the timing of blocks, the combination of blocks. We can do a little bit better of coming off the second level. Indy had a couple of plays where their two linebackers can run and they made some plays, and that's going to happen. But I think these last two games have been good for our offensive line.”

Going forward, more execution from the offensive line could be the difference between wins and losses.

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