LANDOVER, Md. – This was a weird one, a frustrating one.

The Jaguars lost to the Washington Commanders, 28-22, Sunday afternoon in the 2022 regular-season opener at FedEx Field – a game they seemed to have little chance to win in the second quarter and one they had a very real chance to win for much of the fourth.

The Jaguars lost Doug Pederson's first game as head coach because they couldn't stop the Commanders on consecutive fourth-quarter drives after turning an 11-point halftime deficit into an eight-point fourth-quarter lead.

They lost because they couldn't turn enough red-zone opportunities into touchdowns, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence saying afterward first-half offensive failure inside the Washington 20 cost the Jaguars 11 valuable points.

This was one the Jaguars could have won – and in many ways, one they should have won. Pederson was confident afterward that they will learn from the loss and win such games sooner rather than later.

Inbox reaction, as might be expected, ran a wide range of emotions – from anger to blind rage to chaos. That means Week 1 is in the books.

Let's get to it …

Daniel from Jersey City

O-man, we all those mistakes, we didn't deserve that one did we?

This is a tricky one. In one sense, the Jaguars for a stretch in the second half Sunday did play well enough to deserve to win. They ran well, played with savvy and won the giveaway-takeaway statistic three to one. There was some winning stuff in there. But they made too many mistakes in big situations, failed twice to stop the Commanders with the game on the line and couldn't mount a legitimate drive with a chance to win in the final two minutes. You don't deserve to win when that happens.

Jim from Jagsonville

This was a moral victory...

Nah. There's no such thing in the NFL. But Sunday did show a couple of things – that the Jaguars have improved since last season, and that they're back to functioning like an NFL team. There were too many times last season that wasn't the case. I still believe they're a six-to-seven victory team, just as I wrote throughout the offseason. I also wrote all offseason that I thought they would move in the right direction this season. That still feels right, too.

Scott from London, England

Offensive line is still horrible.

Sunday featured some rough moments in that area.

Tom Standing on a Corner in Nocatee, FL

I was told there would be defense.

This was the much-ballyhooed, often-reactionary, rarely-positive First Email of the Game. Yes, the Commanders moved easily on the first drive and scored on a three-yard pass from quarterback Carson Wentz to wide receiver Curtis Samuel. No, the Jaguars' defense did not look on that drive like the dominant defense that played in the preseason. The defense looked a lot better for a stretch in the second and third quarter. Then it looked worse. It was Week 1. And overall, it wasn't good enough.

James from Socorro, NM

Can't visit the red zone three times early and only get three points. Almost every NFL game is close.

Nope. Yep.          

Jacob, NY

Did you have any confidence Trevor could lead the offense to a td in the final drive?

No, because we haven't seen him lead a late game-winning drive for a touchdown yet. I wouldn't have been surprised had he done so and wasn't surprised it didn't happen. Such confidence is earned and Lawrence hasn't earned that yet. 

Jack from the Bronx

SAME LOSING JAGUARS. Can't win versus Tennessee. Can't win in Houston on a CODE RED game. Can't win versus teams in the previous season playoffs. Can't win at an NFC home field. Can't win versus a team or quarterback that has won a SUPER BOWL. Can't win at teams in the Pacific Time Zone. Can't win versus a team with a new starting quarterback or a team starting its backup quarterback. Can't win with MUSTACHE MAN as the owner. Can't win …

Jack is not "all in."

Tom from Jacksonville Beach

When will we win? I don't care about this. I don't care about. Just when will we ever win?

Soon, Tom. Maybe not as soon as you want as consistently as you want. But soon.

Big Bingus from Duval

I'm not a smart man. I never understood what time is a flat circle meant until jaguars until the second Washington touchdown.

Don't sell yourself short. You're obviously smarter than me, because I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about.

George

Was going to say we still suck. But being in the game near the end is a nice change.

The Jaguars have been really bad in recent seasons. Competitiveness is the first step away from that toward better things. The Jaguars were competitive on the road Sunday and perhaps should have won. That's competitive. It's true that it is not enough and that it is frustrating, but it nonetheless is competitive.