WATFORD, United Kingdom – Let's get to it …
Josh from Atlanta, GA
"This team can play with any team and be in pretty much every game the rest of the season." I think I agree, but that Buffalo game was so unbelievably disturbing it makes me wonder if it is indeed correct. Can and will are obviously two very different things, but that game was so pathetic. Are you confident it won't happen again?
I indeed wrote recently that the Jaguars can play with any team and be in pretty much every game the rest of the season, and I believe that includes their game against the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London Sunday. This isn't a particularly bold statement, because I'm not saying the Jaguars will win every game – or even most of them. I'm also not saying they won't get blown out again – as they did in a 47-10 Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills. I expect the Jaguars to have a very real chance to win most of their remaining 12 games. They have the talent and experience to do so. Whether they win enough of those games to work their way back into the postseason depends on how quickly they become a team that can make clutch plays in big situations, particularly at the end of games. They went a long stretch from late last season to early this season struggling in that area. They made a lot of big plays late and showed good poise in a 37-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday. If that's what they're becoming, and there's a chance that's the case, this team can win a lot more games than it loses the rest of the season. But I can't guarantee the Jaguars won't have a repeat of the loss to the Bills. I would be surprised if the Jaguars had a loss in which they play quite as poorly as they did in the first half of that game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they lose by a wide margin again this season. It's a week-to-week league. Bad games happen even to really good teams.
Nick from Annapolis, MD
Brian Thomas' 22.15 mph reception is the second-fastest recorded ball carrier since Week 2 2020. Only DK Metcalf's 22.23 last year tops it. Wow.
You're referencing Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.'s top speed on his 85-yard touchdown reception against the Colts last Sunday. It was the fastest time recorded by an NFL player this season – and, as you note, the fastest since Metcalf last season. What's also intriguing about Thomas is he rarely looks as if he is running fast even though he's in fact running very fast. That ease of motion makes him particularly difficult to cover because it lulls defensive backs. What perhaps most intriguing is Thomas is not only fast, he's a very instinctive and natural player. Five games into his NFL career, you get the idea he isn't anywhere near what he will become. Stay tuned.
Don from Marshall, NC
By the season's end, Travon Walker will be the most dominant defensive player in the NFL. The guy has figured it out and in my opinion is unstoppable. Go Jaguars!
When it comes to continuing to believe in Jaguars third-year defensive end Travon Walker, Don very much remains "all in."
Johnny B from Howey In The Hills
Dr. O: On a really positive note, the Jags' special teams are special this year. Logan Cooke is in Top 5 punters in both net average and total yardage per kick. Rookie Cam Little is in Top 10 in field goal percentage and his only miss was a rushed 50-plus attempt early in the season. Punt return average is better than mid-point of all teams and kickoff returns are under 30 yds with new rule. All in all very solid. Kudos to the special team warriors. Have contributed significantly to the close games and the win. On a side note, while I can't find a penalty stat, just observing the Jags have reduced their penalties per game from last year. Go Jags.
The Jaguars' penalties per game are actually up a touch this season, from 4.88 for 37.88 yards per game in 2023 to 6.0 for 47.6 yards per game in 2024 – though it's still a small sample size. The Jaguars have reduced their penalties per game as the season has continued, with a season-high eight for 71 in a Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins and a season-low three for 25 yards in the victory over the Colts this past Sunday. Penalties overall from this view haven't been a defining issue for this franchise in the last two seasons or so. At least very often.
Bryan from Tampa, FL
With the emergence of Brenton Strange, do you see the likelihood of offensive coordinator Press Taylor using more two tight-end sets in passing situations once Evan Engram comes back?
Strange, a tight end selected by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, has played well enough with Engram out with a hamstring injury the last four weeks that the Jaguars need to figure a way to get him more involved. I expect that indeed will be at least a few more two tight-end looks. My thought is that these could happen more in base situations than in obvious passing situations. Two tight-end sets are ideal for base situations because they're perhaps the most balanced formations and therefore strain defenses. If defenses play the run in this situation, a capable receiving tight end is often a mismatched on a linebacker. If defenses choose to play with an extra defensive back, the offense often can use the mismatch to run. Strange's versatility could be particularly effective in the latter situation; he has become one of the team's better run-blockers.
Gary from St. Augustine, FL
Even when you're in London, you still suck.
Yep.
Biff from Jville but Presently in Rome
What do you think is going through Trevor's head as he awaits the Bears defense: let me entertain you or you got to know when hold 'em, fold 'em, walk away or run?
I think if they respond to being under pressure they might end up walking on sunshine.
Daniel from Johnston, IA
I'm with you on the play-calling late in the fourth quarter with a lead. Very, very few teams can run four minutes off the clock just by running the ball when the other team knows that's what they're going to do. If it worked better, we wouldn't even have this question but I think it's the right strategy.
The Jaguars' late-game strategy the last two weeks remains an O-Zone issue, with the team having passed multiple times with possession and a one-score lead with just four-minutes(ish) remaining. While some O-Zone emails have bemoaned this approach, the reality was that the Jaguars faced second-and-at-least-nine in both situations. Most teams are going to struggle running twice for nine yards in that situation – and while the Jaguars' running game has improved this season, I'm still hard-pressed to believe they can just hand the ball to a running back and expect to grind their way to four and five yards a carry late in the game. This offense just doesn't feel like it's there yet.
Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA
How 'bout another one fer Oehser with the fact checking. I could have sworn the Colts game had less time and might've overlooked one of the timeouts. Was excited to see game going our way at an opposing fans house. I suppose we left ourselves some of that time!
I am the king of all facts.
Kevin from Jacksonville
You keep saying the Jaguars' offensive line is good. Fans know better and you're just being stubborn. When will it end?
I've never said or written that this version of Jaguars' offensive line is good. I didn't say or write it before the season and I haven't written or said it in recent weeks. I haven't done these things because we don't yet know if it's good or bad. I have said and written in recent weeks that the Jaguars' offensive line is improving because it absolutely has improved. The unit for the most part has blocked well for the run. At the same time, it must be better and more consistent in short-yardage, must-run situations. It has pass-blocked very well in recent weeks. At the same time, it wasn't great in this area in the first three games of the season. If this offense indeed is as good as it has looked in recent weeks, then it will be a good offensive line. That's possible. We'll see.
Princefigs from Jacksonville
Nice to see the jags turn what could have been a loss into a win. Hopefully we can get some "Moodachay" chants going in London and come home at .500.
The Jaguars are 1-4 entering their two-game stretch in London.
