Let’s set the scene: there’s 1:48 left within the fourth quarter. The Jacksonville Jaguars are down three to the moribund offense of the Cleveland Browns, however there’s nonetheless time to scrub away all of that, with the ball on their very own two-yard line. Jaguars franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence takes the snap, however each route is 30 yards downfield and takes time to develop, time the offense doesn’t have. He will get sacked for a security, virtually placing the sport out of attain.
The Jaguars are 0-2 and coming off an 18-13 loss to a Browns workforce that had 37 dropped on them the week earlier than. The Doug Pederson period received off to an amazing begin, but it surely’s time to ask some critical questions, particularly in regards to the offense. To be fairly sincere, I don’t care who’s calling performs. In 2022, Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor cut up time calling performs, then in 2023 Taylor took over full time. Pederson has been very…quiet about who’s calling performs this yr, but it surely doesn’t matter. Press Taylor and Doug Pederson each come from the identical teaching tree with the identical teaching philosophies, so I’m simply going to group each of them collectively right here.
The Jaguars haven’t any offensive imaginative and prescient. In any respect. Each offense value their salt has an identification, or a philosophy that they wish to base their offense in. The Shanahan/McVay tree all makes use of outdoors zone as their bread and butter, their day one set up that each idea relies off of. Gown it up any means you need, however the base of the offense stays the identical. Andy Reid and the Chiefs have morphed their offensive identification to being extra of an beneath passing workforce with quite a lot of YAC, and it provides their offense an identification. What’s the Jaguars’ offensive identification? What’s the basis of their offensive home? You may gown up the home with the nicest home windows and fancy lighting, but when the inspiration is shaky then the home crumbles beneath any adversity.
The Jaguars have good gamers on this workforce, however with no offensive imaginative and prescient the whole lot else suffers. What does Jacksonville wish to do properly on offense? Final week, the Jaguars’ imaginative and prescient was to assault vertically off play motion beneath heart, one thing that I believed they’d attempt to be good at after final yr. Nonetheless, in opposition to the Browns? 4 play motion makes an attempt beneath heart, and certainly one of them led to a profitable play. The Jaguars had a -0.03 EPA per play yesterday on offense, and it might’ve been worse! This offense is turtling in on itself, and the blame begins up high. It’s just like the Jaguars offensive braintrust doesn’t perceive what their gamers do properly. Rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr has been one of the crucial spectacular downfield receiving targets within the league early, however solely will get two downfield targets a recreation? The Jaguars had been down TE Evan Engram in Week 2, so naturally that meant to feed backup tight finish Brenton Unusual all recreation. The offense has no rhyme or purpose, and it has a trickle down impact on the remainder of the offense.
Let’s begin with the quarterback. Lawrence is an excellent QB, however the lack of a clear-cut plan on offense is sinking the funding the Jaguars made in him. On Sunday I noticed him miss throws he usually makes, bail on a pocket that was pretty clear, and simply total look extra dejected and annoyed than I’ve ever seen him. After the sport, the quotes coming from the Jaguars displayed a workforce on the verge of a meltdown.
What’s even sadder is that whereas the offense performs disgusting soccer, the protection has been actually good! It’s best to win video games that you just solely hand over 18 factors in. The Cowboys gave up 17 to the Browns, but in addition scored 33 factors! They’ve been eleventh in Success Fee allowed by way of two video games, and given this offense each alternative to succeed. It shouldn’t be on a protection in a very new scheme to hold an offense that has three years beneath its’ belt, however that’s the place we’re at.
The issue for the Jaguars is that the schedule doesn’t get any simpler. Their subsequent 4 video games are in opposition to the Buffalo Payments, the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. This workforce must determine it out offensively, however they received’t get that point in opposition to 4 high quality defenses. Nonetheless, that they had an entire offseason to determine it out, however the identical Jaguars workforce nonetheless confirmed up, and that’s on the pinnacle coach.
The clock on Doug Pederson has run out. It’s time to place collectively an offense worthy of something, or he received’t have a job on the finish of the season.
