The Blake Bortles era started on Sunday with a road game against the San Diego Chargers. Unfortunately for Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars, this game ended the same way every other game this season has ended. The Jaguars lost 33-14 to the Chargers and were outscored 16-0 in the 2nd half. Through three games the defense has looked horrible. They have looked lost in their pass coverage, generated a sluggish pass rush, and simply looked out-matched in all aspects of the game. It’s been a tough few years to be a Jaguars fan, and I feel that this season will not be much different.
Here, I’ll break down some important topics from Sunday’s game against San Diego. As with previous weeks, the positive comments will be few and far between for a team that is 0-4 and looks destined for another top 5 draft pick next May.
Where is the defense?
Philip Rivers picked apart the Jaguars defense yesterday.
The defense for the Jaguars has been a problem all year and Sunday’s game was no different. Chargers QB Philip Rivers shredded the Jaguars pass defense en route to 377 yards and 3 TDs. Opposing teams have averaged 320.8 ypg through the air this season against the Jaguars, which ranks last in the league. The last two weeks, against Indianapolis and San Diego, the pass defense has allowed 373.5 ypg! The Jaguars have faced Philadelphia’s Nick Foles, Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck, and San Diego’s Philip Rivers in three of their four games, but that is no excuse for the defense to be this bad. The rushing defense has been equally disappointing for the Jaguars. Head coach Gus Bradley’s defensive schemes are yielding over 130 ypg on the ground, which ranks 25th out of 32 teams. Overall, the Jaguars defense has given up 38 points per game, which is a better gauge than simply yards allowed. This is the worst points per game average in the NFL and the next closest team is giving up 8 fewer points than the Jaguars. I’m no scientist, but I can see that the Jaguars seem to be a full touchdown worse than every other team in the league.
Gus Bradley was the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks before he became the Jaguars head coach. Fans and players were hoping that he could establish a dominate defense, similar to what he and Pete Carroll constructed out west. The Jaguars signed DL Ziggy Hood, Chris Clemons, and Red Bryant to anchor a defensive line that was supposed to be much improved from last season. So far, the team’s plan has backfired. Opposing teams are winning the battle at the line of scrimmage, and Jacksonville is generating zero pass rush. Bradley and DC Bob Babich need to straighten things out quickly if this team wants to be competitive this season.
Positive start from Bortles
On the positive side, Jaguars QB Blake Bortles gave the Jaguars offense some identity this week. He led the Jaguars on two 1st half TD drives, with each drive being at least 60+ yards. His 1st half numbers were 15/18 for 149 yards with 1 TD and 0 INTs. The Jaguars were only down by 3 points and things seemed to be going well at the break. Bortles again showed his mobility in and outside of the pocket with multiple plays in which he was forced to move around. He avoided sacks that QB Chad Henne simply could not do earlier this season, and he showed command of the huddle.
He did, however, throw two 2nd half interceptions that hurt his team. Both could have probably been avoided, and hopefully these throws are just rookie mistakes. The Jaguars are going to need Bortles to play almost perfect football each game to have a chance to win. This is unfair to ask a rookie QB to do, but the Jaguars roster will explain to you why this is so. Bortles is throwing passes to fellow rookies Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson, and 5th year man Clay Harbor (who?). Wide receivers Cecil Shorts III, Marqise Lee, and TE Mercedes Lewis have all been injured, which further complicates the passing attack. A good running game would be nice, but Jacksonville has been awful at running the ball this season. Running backs Toby Gerhart, Denard Robinson, and Jordan Todman have had no running room from an offense line that is in shambles.
Another week, another loss. This seems to be a reccuring storyline for the Jaguars this season. Bortles’ play gives us Jaguars fans some hope, but until they can fix the problems on defense, the Jaguars will remain a mediocre team.
This article Jacksonville Jaguars: Can we get a defense? appeared first on isportsweb by Zachary Chandler