Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 Week 2 Report

By Liam Wirsansky on September 23, 2020

With a shocking week 1 comeback win against the Indianapolis Colts, many national media pundits were hesitant to identify the Jacksonville Jaguars’ victory as than a mere fluke, and a testament to the Colts’ poor play. Despite their 33-30 week 2 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville Jaguars may actually be onto something, as this team continues to surprise and stay very much alive and well in the AFC South Divisional race, currently in second place with a 1-1 record both overall and in the division. While it isn’t certain what their record and destiny will be by season’s end, it remains clear that this offense will be able to keep them in games and that this Jaguars team is not currently playing to tank, like most predicted that they would be before the season’s start.

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The Offense has a Multitude of Weapons

A week after the offense boasted receptions by ten different receivers, QB Gardner Minshew spread the ball around once again, hitting eight different receivers for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns, with four different receivers accounting for 40 or more yards. Starting slow at first with an interception on the first drive from a tipped ball by rookie WR Colin Johnson into the hands of Titans’ CB Kristian Fulton, the Jaguars bounced back from a 14-0 deficit and scored a touchdown on a 19-yard pass to Tyler Eifert late in the first quarter. The offense continued to chip away at the swings taken and scored by an extremely efficient Ryan Tannehill led Titans, and picked up steam in the second half scoring touchdowns on three straight drives to start the half. An incredible second half effort by undrafted rookie RB James Robinson, who ended the day with his first career 100-yard rushing game, also scored his first career rushing touchdown, giving the Jaguars a much-needed spark in the play action passing game late down the stretch. Offensive Coordinator, Jay Gruden, called a spectacular game and added a myriad of wrinkles to keep the Titans defense on their toes, calling five different rushing plays for do it all rookie WR Leviska Shenault Jr., and guiding his offense to a 30-point game. There are certainly some mistakes to clean up, but the future looks bright for this offense.

Gardner Minshew has a Day

Speaking of bright futures, QB Gardner Minshew proved on Sunday that he can ball with the best of them, as he put up video game like numbers, while keeping the Jaguars in this game while going toe to toe with the nearly unstoppable Titans offense. Make no mistake, Minshew has some areas he needs to improve upon and errors that he simply cannot make and expect to win. His two interceptions today both came at poor times, and the 20-yard sack that he took early in the second quarter that took the wind out of a very promising drive that would have tied the game. Yet, a week after completing 95% of his passes and 3 TDs, Minshew had another fantastic day completing 66% of his passes on the way to becoming the first Jaguars player to ever record three straight weeks with 3 TD passes, dating back to week 17 of last season. He looked to be in total command of the offense and seems to have the respect of his teammates, with many players speaking glowingly about him. After the game WR DJ Chark said that “”I think honestly we feel like we can go toe to toe with anybody,” firmly cementing his belief in this offense, which hinges on the success of Minshew. Currently the Jaguars are averaging 28.5 points per game, and just scored 30 points on the road against a team that just made the AFC Championship game a season before.  It may only be two games in to the season, but Minshew has been lights out for the Jaguars so far this season.

The Defense Failed to Make Impact Plays

Unlike the offense, the Jaguars’ defense struggled mightily to contain the opposing offense, as Ryan Tannehill had a nearly perfect game, completing 18/24 passes for 239 yards and 4 TDs. While the defense contained RB Derrick Henry for much of the game, and certainly by their historical standards, he still ended the day with 84 yards rushing. Aside from a sack by rookie K’Lavon Chaisson in the first half, the defense failed to create pressure in the pocket and made several key missed tackles in the backfield. They also had far too many untimely and foolish penalties that negated third down stops and kept them on the field, extending drives and failing to get the team’s offense back on the field. A week after forcing two turnovers and making key 4th down stops, the defense failed to produce many game changing plays for the team on Sunday. If the Jaguars want to win more games, they’ll need more support from their defense, especially on days that the opposing team is able to force turnovers on the Jaguars’ offense. With the way the offense has been playing, it begs to question how this team would be playing without the key offseason losses off star veterans like DE Calais Campbell or DE Yannick Ngakoue.

Special Teams Errors Hurt

Typically a strong spot for the Jaguars, the special teams had made several mistakes throughout the game that ultimately may have cost the team the win. The Jaguars most reliable weapon, kicker Josh Lambo had a game he’d soon like to forget missing an extra point, and squibbing a kickoff directly to the opposing team’s front line, which setup a Titans field goal right as time expired in the first half and put them ahead by two scores. While he has been nearly automatic when taking field goals since joining the Jaguars, he cannot overlook this type of performance and work on improving the other aspects of his game. Punter Logan Cooke, also made a costly mistake late in the game with a short 35 yard punt late in the game that aided the Titans’ field position and led to their game winning drive. Add in the bobbled kickoff by Chris Claybrooks in the second half that started the Jaguars at their own 12 yard line and there is a lot to forget and build on by the special teams coordinator. Look for special teams coordinator Joe Decamillis and the rest of the unit to bounce back and play solidly next week.

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After facing a title contender in the Tennessee Titans in Week 2, the Jaguars should look to build on an inspiring an unexpected start to their season, as their schedule looks to lighten up in the next few weeks, playing Miami this Thursday, September 24th for their first primetime game of the season, and Cincinnati the following week. If the Jaguars can build on their strong start, it wouldn’t be completely out of the realm of possibility for them to be 3-1 by the end of the first quarter of the season.

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