The Jacksonville Jaguars played the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 12 at Everbank Stadium. How did the Jags perform?
The Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Seattle Seahawks20-12 on Oct. 12 at EverBank Stadium, breaking a three-game winning streak and losing at home for the first time this season.
They will fly to London on Oct. 13 and play the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 19 at Wembley Stadium (9:30 a.m., NFL Network).
Here is the report card for the loss to Seattle:
Offense: F
The Jaguars knew Seattle might be the best defense they faced to this point, but might not have known how good.
Here's how: seven sacks, 17 quarterback hits. Edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu combined for 3.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits.
The Jaguars didn't have a turnover but also had to punt eight times, half of them after failing to pick up a first down. Jacksonville was 4 of 16 on third-down conversions and couldn't muscle the Seahawks for a 1.5-yard two-point conversion attempt after a penalty.
But it wasn't so much getting stopped as stopping themselves and after a relatively clean game against Kansas City (four penalties), the Jaguars went back to their error-prone ways and of the 10 penalties for 76 yards, the offense was responsible for seven of them, for 45 yards, with an illegal receiver downfield flag on Chuma Edoga declined. One of the penalties was devastating: an offside call on rookie Travis Hunter that nullified a 54-yard TD pass from Trevor Lawrence to Brian Thomas Jr.
Defense: C
The defense did not force a turnover for the first time this season but for the most part, played decent straight up football against an offense with a hot quarterback in Sam Darnold that entered the game ninth in the NFL. Seattle had only 10 first downs late in the fourth quarter and the Jaguars held the Seahawks to 2.3 yards per carry on the ground.
Seattle converted only 1 of 12 third-down plays and the Jaguars had seven tackles for losses, swarming to the ball most of the game. That also was without linebacker Devin Lloyd at times, who was experiencing tightness in his right leg.
The defense forced Seattle to punt four times in the fourth quarter, three times after a three-and-out.
However, their efforts were undone by three big plays: Jaxon Smith-Njigbe's 61-yard TD pass from Sam Darnold in the second quarter, beating cornerback Greg Newsome on his first play as a Jaguar; Darnold's 29-yard pass to Cooper Kupp to open the third quarter, leading to Kupp's 11-yard TD reception; and a 61-yard pass to tight end A.J. Barner that enabled the Seahawks to run out the clock.
Special teams: F
During a season in which the offense and defense have turned things around from 2024, the special teams, the best unit on the team last year, has regressed.
Kicker Cam Little missed his first conversion in 194 attempts, going back to his senior year in high school and was wide right on a 50-yard field goal attempt, his third miss in four games, after missing only two all last season. Punter Logan Cooke, after his first two attempts went 61 and 60 yards, tugged an attempt to pin the Seahawks deep only 26 yards.
The return game was a bit of a mess when Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr., didn't communicate on who should field the opening kickoff, and the ensuing touchback forced the Jaguars' offense to start from their own 20. Parker Washington then fumbled a punt return, but it went out of bounds, to his great fortune.
Oh yeah ... Tuten was penalized on a kickoff return for an illegal double-team block and Rayuan Lane II drew a flag for an illegal blindside block on a punt return.
The good news is that Lane continues to make big plays as a gunner on punts and nailed Seattle returner Jake Bobo for a 1-yard loss on one play.
Intangibles: D
Coach Liam Coen's unconventional thinking in taking the ball at times when winning the coin toss backfired when the Jaguars had a penalty and two negative plays on the first drive and had to punt. But the Seahawks didn't score on their first possession, so no hard, no foul — in the short term.
In the long term, however, it hurt when Seattle got the ball first in the second half and went on an all-too-easy eight-play, 77-yard touchdown drive.
Going for a two-point conversion with 13 minutes left when the Jags cut the score to 20-12 might have been a bit too early. Did that reflect a lack of confidence in Little? Even the best kickers in the NFL have missed conversions and the Jags became the 13th NFL team this season to have a kicker miss one.
The Jaguars also seemed a bit flat after the emotional victory only six days before against Kansas City, and with a flight to London the next day. With everything good that has happened to in the first five weeks, it's important to remember it's still a young team with a young coaching staff and it's a long season.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars-Seahawks report card shows offense failed at the basics
Category: Football
