The Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense faltered for the first time this season in the 34-31 loss to the division rival Houston Texans on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
The Texans’ offense fired in the air and managed to move the chains on the ground against one of the premier run defenses in the NFL.
“I got a lot of confidence in this team,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “We didn’t get the result we wanted … But I have a lot of confidence in this team. I’m extremely proud of this team and the way they kept fighting.”
Here is a breakdown of how Jacksonville performed in each phase.
Offense: B
After the Jaguars (4-2) failed to get on the board in the first quarter, it was shaping up to be a rough second outing in London for the offense.
However, with two scores in the second quarter and a consistent effort through the rest of the game, the offense certainly did enough to put Jacksonville in a position to win. Jacksonville posted 412 yards, including 106 rushing.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence headlined the effort. After throwing an end-zone interception, he turned things around, finishing 24-of-41 passing for 306 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
“A one-score game like most of them are, and [it] ended up hurting us this week,” Lawrence said. “That’s probably the biggest reflection so far is just how do we clean up some of the little things that are hurting us and that end up costing us the game.
“I had a turnover in the red zone, something like that, that’s a big play, giving away points, and ends up being a three-point game.”
Lawrence had plenty of time in the pocket with the offensive line’s success. It allowed zero sacks and three quarterback hits, giving the quarterback room to move and connect with a plethora of receivers. Although Brian Thomas Jr. had another zero-reception outing and was benched for the second half, Parker Washington, Travis Hunter and Jakobi Meyers made an impact.
Meyers recorded a team-high 83 yards on five grabs. Washington and Hunter each had four receptions for a combined 123 yards.
Lawrence found success connecting with his tight ends as well. He hit Brenton Strange five times for 44 yards. His five receptions tied Meyers for the team high. Lawrence also found rookie Nate Boerkircher, who recorded a 7-yard touchdown grab with 2:37 to go in the third quarter.
It was also a productive day for the running backs. Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten combined for 23 carries and 94 yards, with Tuten also posting two touchdowns.
Defense: C
The Jaguars’ defense had its least desirable outing of the season Sunday.
Jacksonville gave up 426 yards, 114 coming on the ground and 312 in the air. The defensive front failed to make quarterback C.J. Stroud uncomfortable in the pocket throughout the contest, and the secondary struggled to limit explosive plays downfield. The combination was a deadly one for the Jaguars that allowed Houston’s offense to fire from start to finish.
Stroud ended 24-of-34 passing for 312 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
“Thought they made too many plays in the pass game, and they ran it better than anybody has on us so far,” Coen said. “Got to evaluate it, get it cleaned up, but definitely disappointing.”
The defense recorded zero sacks and two quarterback hits. EDGE Josh Hines-Allen and linebacker Ventrell Miller (University of Florida) made up the two hits.
Leading the charge, though, was linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, who posted a team-leading eight tackles (four solo). He was trailed by safety Kaevon Merriweather, a new name on the stat sheet, who posted seven tackles (four solo).
To go along with his impressive outing on the offensive front, Travis Hunter also made big plays on the defensive side. He picked off Stroud’s pass intended for Xavier Hutchinson in the end zone with 3:59 to play. He also added three tackles (one solo) and a pass defended to go along with the interception.
“Just being able to help the team on both sides of the ball when it matters most, it’s really my job to do here, and I’m excited to do it,” Hunter said. “But we got to come out and just continue to win these games, and we got to turn it around.”
Special Teams: A-
There aren’t too many complaints around the special teams unit.
With long snapper Ross Matiscik fighting a shoulder injury, Jacob Bobenmoyer flew to London last Monday to save defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton from another outing at the position. And he held it down from the start.
There were no hiccups, as Cam Little went perfect in point-after attempts — per usual — and hit a 60-yard field goal to tie the score at 31 with two minutes to play.
Wide receiver Josh Cameron also added a 46-yard kick return in the second quarter.
However, there were a few explosive kick returns by the Texans that the Jaguars will look to curb heading into their next matchup. Houston had a 36-yard and two 29-yard kick returns.
The Jaguars look to right the ship in all three phases with a bye this week.
“It’s good for us to be in these games, especially early on in the season,” Coen said. “We’re six weeks in, a little bit more tested at times than maybe at times last year at this time. Helps us continue to know what we have out of this group in some of those moments for sure.”
