The Jaguars have a chance to leave London with a little bit of pride and maybe a bit of momentum for a rugged second half of the season.
The Jaguars are four games back of AFC South-leading Houston and have given head coach Doug Pederson no reason to believe that they can turn things around. They’re one of the worst statistical defenses in the NFL and have been inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball.
Can they kick off a long road back to contention on Sunday morning (9:30 a.m.) against the similarly struggling Patriots (1-5)? It’s not a stretch to say this Week 7 game is between the two teams battling for the No. 1 overall draft pick. But that was somewhat expected on the New England side.
The Patriots moved on from Bill Belichick, traded former quarterback of the future Mac Jones to the Jaguars and kicked off their rebuild by drafting quarterback Drake Maye third overall. Maye got his first start last week against the Texans in a 41-21 loss, New England’s fifth straight. For the Jaguars, this start has been totally unexpected. Owner Shad Khan said before the season that this was Jacksonville’s best team in franchise history. Khan expected more after he handed out massive contract extensions in the offseason to Trevor Lawrence, Tyson Campbell and Josh Hines-Allen. What he’s gotten in return is a continuation of the forgettable finish in 2023.
When this game first appeared on the schedule, it seemed like a guaranteed W for the Jaguars. With how they’ve played, that’s no longer the case.
Jacksonville got knocked around by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears in Week 6, losing 35-16. The defense has been woeful under new coordinator Ryan Nielsen and the rebuilt receiving corps has struggled trying to get on the same page with Lawrence.
With trade rumors and job speculation swirling, Pederson said the time in London has been much needed for the Jaguars as they try and extricate themselves from a yearlong swoon. Jacksonville is 2-10 since it started last year 8-3 and looks worse now than it did during last year’s collapse. Lawrence has just one win in that stretch, a 37-34 shootout victory over the Colts in a game that the defense nearly gave away.
“I think these guys have really weathered this storm well. As you know, we’re all disappointed. We’re frustrated. We feel like we should be better than what we are record-wise. We are better than what our record indicates,” Pederson said.
“I think this week was huge. I think each day got better, emotionally got better. You can see it in practice. You can see the guys flying around, having fun. There’s enthusiasm. There’s laughing. There’s joking around. It’s just having fun at practice, and then getting your work done when you need to get it done. I think that’s important for us at this time to spend this week and a half over here.”
There have been so many things that have been out of sync with the Jaguars this year that it’s difficult to land on the most pressing one.
The Jaguars played well enough on defense in three of the first four weeks to win but were let down by the offense in losses to the Dolphins, Browns and Texans. Lawrence had the worst four-game start of his career but has played better since then. While Lawrence has steadied things the team around him has faltered spectacularly.
“We do have to just find a way to win this game this week because we have to get some momentum going in the right direction and we can’t let this keep going in the wrong direction and keep losing,” Lawrence said. “The season is moving quickly, and we need to win some games to get ourselves back in position. So, we understand what we have to do, but you can’t jump ahead, and we’ve got to just try to take care of business this week.”
Receivers Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk have struggled throughout the season. Davis has had a particularly difficult two weeks, including a fumble against the Colts in Week 5 and then two dropped touchdown passes against the Bears. Kirk’s name has been floated as a possible trade deadline target for contending teams.
Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. has been Lawrence’s best downfield weapon and has been one of the few bright spots for the Jaguars. Travis Etienne had a killer fumble in Week 1 that turned the momentum and allowed the Dolphins to roar back for a walkoff win. He’s been banged up with shoulder and hamstring issues but second-year player Tank Bigsby has emerged as a very good No. 1 back.
“I mean, look we are 1-5. So, we can’t get four games back in one, but we can start chipping away at it,” Pederson said. “It’s a big game for us and we’ve got to make sure we just handle our business.”
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