JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Jeremy from Gilbert, AZ
If the Jags' offense is supposed to be a finely tuned V-8 engine, then it seems we've seen them hit on five or six cylinders at most this season so far. It sure would be nice to put together a solid, complete game just once this season.
I'm sometimes not sure what people expect from good NFL teams. This is professional football. As Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson said Friday, there just aren't many blowout victories anymore. The Jaguars beat the New Orleans Saints, 31-24, Thursday. They led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, then made two game-winning plays late in the quarter to win after the Saints tied the game at 24-24. Many fans have chosen to see the offense as sputtering and the defense flawed for not holding a lead. These areas could improve, it is true. It's just as true that the offense scored three touchdowns, including one with the game in the balance in the final four minutes. That's not perfect football, but it's winning football. The NFL is a game of inches and big plays in big moments, and the good teams maintain focus and make plays that matter when they matter. Three of the Jaguars' five victories this season were by double digits (Indianapolis twice and Atlanta), another was over a team that was thought to be the hottest team in the NFL at the time (Buffalo) and another (New Orleans) came in their fourth game in 19 days with their quarterback uncertain all week because of a knee injury. Fans fan. It's what they do. Boy, is it what they do.
GungaDan from Sand dune
Hello Mr. Zone, This is fun. Last year we evolved from the team that struggled to win, to the team that always came from behind and won. This year it seems like we are the team that gets out ahead, loses the lead then comes back to win. My question is: Do you think we can turn into the team that gets the lead and keeps it (before we hit the really tough part of our schedule)? Thanks.
The Jaguars have won their last four games and never trailed in the second half. They have trailed just once during that span. That was when the Indianapolis Colts led 3-0. The Jaguars took the lead on their first possession and never trailed. You can't hold leads in the NFL better than that.
Don from Marshall, NC
Travis Etienne Jr. definitely has a style like no other. All the great ones had their own style. The Jaguars are so lucky to have him. Amazing player he is like watching a video game the stuff he does. Go Jaguars!
When it comes to Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr's style, Don remains "all in."
P Funk from Murray Hill
Great to see Foye get some national recognition after the game. Pro Bowl?
I wouldn't rule it out. Jaguars inside linebacker Foye Oluokun has led the NFL in tackles the past two seasons. He returned an interception for a touchdown in a nationally-seen prime-time game Thursday. That's the formula for postseason honors.
Al from Orange Park, FL
Coach P's decision to take the bye closer to mid-season rather than after London is looking pretty smart right now.....
Yep.
Over-Stimulated from Everytown, USA
LOGAN COOKE = GOAT
Jaguars punter Logan Cooke punted five times for a 44.8 yard net, no return yards and four punts inside 20-yard line Thursday. He also had a first-down converting pass on a fake punt late in the first half that led to a field goal. Is he the GOAT? I don't know, but he's damned good.
Mike from Cartersville (AKA Trevortown), GA
I thought we would be in big trouble and that cornerback Tyson Campbell's absence would be super obvious. It was great watching Montaric Brown prove me wrong. Will we see him on the field more?
I don't know that you will see Brown much once Campbell returns. That's too bad for him, but good for the Jaguars. Brown's future could be bright. His plays in the end zone were a big reason the Jaguars won Thursday. For now, he's a reason the Jaguars' secondary is perhaps deeper than first thought.
David from Ada, OK
The thing that makes this year stand out in my mind is the fact that we are as complete a team I've ever remembered seeing. Great run game. Great passing game, wide outs, tight ends and quarterback. Great defensive pressure up front and in back and great linebackers and corners. We've got enough depth we can an away game on a short week with several folks out and an "injured" QB. Not the Jags I grew up with, but the Jags I've wished for for years …
Yep.
Tbone from Jax
Was it my imagination or was wide receiver Christian Kirk not clearly held after he fumbled and attempted to recover?
Yes. It wasn't penalized because it's legal.
Michael from San Diego, CA
Why is Abdullah inactive again? I know he's a rookie but hadn't he been playing well or have I missed the boat on him?
Jaguars pass rusher Yasir Abdullah is a rookie seven games into his NFL career. He's adjusting to the NFL. He was active through the first five games of the season and has been inactive the last two since veteran Dawuane Smoot returned from the Physically Unable to Perform list. It's not uncommon for a fifth-round rookie to be inactive and need time to adjust to the NFL. Give this one time. No cause for alarm.
Cliff from Everywhere with helicopter
The NFL is hard.
We have a Winner.
Mike from Cartersville (AKA Trevortown), GA
Why are the struggling so much on third down this year? It was an area of strength last year.
Such things are rarely one thing. The offensive line has struggled to protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence at times this season in these situations. The offense was facing third-and-long in other situations, and third-and-long is dramatically different than third-and-manageable. The Jaguars also have struggled pretty much all season in short yardage. There also have been a few too many drops, particularly early in the season.
Eric from Babson Park
A win on a Thursday night away game is hard to do. Sloppy win but it's a win! Two questions. Is Press Taylor still doing all the play calling? Do you think there is anything to this team needing to learn how to play with a lead?
Two answers. One: Yes, offensive coordinator Press Taylor is calling all plays. Two: The Jaguars haven't trailed in the second half during their four-game winning streak. They trailed once during that streak – in the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts – and never trailed again in that game after taking the lead on their first offensive possession. You can't be much more successful leading than the Jaguars have been in the last month.
Tom from Moncks Corner
Seven games in and the expected to be weak defense continues to win ball games. Trevor Lawrence looks more like a game manager or bridge than he does an elite QB. How do you spend that. Please, no smart *** answers.
I won't spend it at all. It's not worth enough.
Tim from Fernandina Beach, FL
John: Question not related to the tough win. Our two coordinators take differing courses as to where they set up shop. The offensive coordinator, Taylor, is in the box. The defensive coordinator, Mike Caldwell, is on the field. Can you explain advantages/disadvantages to each spot and is the location to call the game personal preference or dictated by the head coach?
The advantage to being in the press box is being able to see the whole field from a "30,000-feet view." The advantage to being on the field is the ability to communicate quickly with the entire unit face to face rather than doing so on the headset. Neither is better or worse. It's usually personal preference.
Jerry from Riverview, FL
Do you think this team looks any differently from the team that won seven of their last nine games last year?
Without question. This is a tougher team that is putting itself in higher-percentages chances to win more consistently. The 2022 Jaguars rallied from seven points or more six times in its last eight victories and needed to overcome a four-game deficit to win the AFC South. This team hasn't trailed in the second half in the last four games and leads the AFC South by a game and a half.
Rob from Jax
O, some dumb dumb wrote "I've never seen an NFL team that's clearly superior with less interest in putting teams away. Tell me you don't see the same." Then he slept on it, read the Ozone, read your answer, and was even more annoyed that you were and are right. It's hard to stop fanning when you are a fan O.
I am the king of all funk.
