JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Eddie from Jacksonville
One play?
The Jaguars lost to the Miami Dolphins, 20-17, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., in a 2024 Week 1 game Sunday – and while I am sometimes loathe to say an NFL game comes down to one play, there absolutely is an element of truth to this. The Jaguars were in complete control Sunday, leading 17-7 late in the third quarter and turning in one of their better drives in recent memory. They moved from their own 3 to the Miami 3 in stunningly effective, balanced fashion. Then, running back Travis Etienne Jr. fumbled into the end zone and safety Javon Holland recovered for a touchback to give Miami possession at their 20-yard line. Then, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed 80 yards to wide receiver Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins' victory took on an inevitable feel. Now, it's very fair to say that the Jaguars' defense should have NOT allowed the 80-yard touchdown. But the fumble was a momentum drain of staggering proportion and the Jaguars never recovered. This was a case where one play seemed to change it all. The Jaguars' challenge moving forward is obvious: Be tough enough and to recover in that situation.
Mike from theBrg
We should have won that game today. Stings.
The Jaguars absolutely could have won Sunday. A strong argument could be made they should have won. The thought here absolutely is they would have won had Etienne scored instead of fumbling. And yes … the loss absolutely stung. The storyline now is how the Jaguars respond to this loss. They now have lost six of their last seven games dating to last season, with the only victory during that span over the struggling Carolina Panthers in Week 17 last season. The Jaguars believe they're a good team. They believe they turned themselves into a savvy, tough, veteran team by signing multiple players with extensive playoff experience in the offseason. This will be a "noisy" week with a lot of off-field speculation and criticism around a lot of areas. The Jaguars play a very good Cleveland Browns team at home Sunday in what is now a very important game. How this team responds will be fascinating to watch.
Alan from Orange Park, FL
Why aren't the Jaguars players as good as the rest of the NFL players?
The Jaguars on Sunday lost to a team that has been in the postseason the last two seasons. There once was a time when I found the Sunday extremes annoying or perplexing. Now, I find them comfortably reassuring.
Glenn from Tampa, FL
I hate being a fan of this team. We go from one of the best offensive drives I've ever seen in that uniform to blowing it. Being a Jags fan is officially the worst.
Losing sucks. That game sucked. Everything sucks.
Nick from Milton, Canada
Christian Kirk, please work on catching the ball when it hits your hands, Doug (or Press?) please call a few more passes next game, that is all.
Kirk had an uncharacteristic game Sunday, with a couple of critical drops. The Jaguars were running effectively much of the game. Had they gone away from the run, I would have been receiving emails complaining about that.
Josh from Atlanta, GA
How many passes did Trevor attempt after the ETN fumble? What are your thoughts with the answer?
Two. I think some weird circumstances contributed to the number. The Jaguars had three drives after the Etienne fumble. They turned the ball over on downs once on four running plays. They then threw twice on a drive before punting. They tried to throw twice on their final series, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence was sacked both times. This is one of those situations where game situation and feel dictated some play calls that are easy in retrospect to criticize. The Jaguars were running well much of the game and had confidence in it late. That confidence was not rewarded.
Jeremy from Gilbert, AZ
Same ole Jags. It's honestly impressive (in a pathetic way) how much the Jaguars can crumble under pressure. I don't ever see this being a championship caliber franchise/team. Looks like we're for another underwhelming season.
It's easy to be discouraged at 0-1. Sunday was discouraging. We shall see.
Jordan from Mandarin
When it mattered most, the offensive line was bad.
This is fair. The offensive line was impressive for the most part for three quarters. While second-year right tackle Anton Harrison had some uncharacteristic struggles, center Mitch Morse and guard Ezra Cleveland in particularly appeared to play well – and the line as a whole played well, particularly run-blocking. The fourth quarter was more of a struggle, with the Jaguars not running as well when they needed to run – and with Lawrence being sacked twice on their final drive. There was progress here, particularly early, but it still must improve.
ShanghaiStevie from Jacksonville
"It's just one game." This is the attitude that kept us out of the playoffs last year. Until the team practices more accountability, they'll always be the same old Jags. It's OK, Travis. We all make mistakes. Get back in there and then come get your participation trophy. Oh and nice first half BJT! Now let's give the other kids a chance to play. Sad. Let me ask Zone, are you a fan of rewarding mistakes with more playing time when you have another effective player at the same position?
Etienne is a good player. You don't reward mistakes with more playing time. You also don't hurt yourself by benching good players for one mistake.
Steven from Williamsburg
Snatching defeat from the hands of victory. The Jaguar way. We need an exorcism.
It was a tough loss.
Dmiz from Depressionville
Zone. This one hurt a lot. It reminded me of the same old heart attack cats. We have a talented team, but just can't put it all together. I hope this isn't our eternal destiny. Uggggg. Next game…
Week 1 is often a weird week in the NFL. It's quite common for teams to sustain uncharacteristic losses in Week 1. There's no reason Sunday should be the "eternal destiny" for the Jaguars. It's one thing to say this and write this after Week 1. It's up to the Jaguars to make this Week 1 loss not be a trend.
Mike from Azores
Hey John, 55 million a year for what?
This was a common question Sunday and it's a fair – and not unexpected – one. Lawrence signed a megadeal in the offseason and with such a deal comes expectations. The Jaguars had a 17-7 lead at halftime Sunday. They failed to score after that and had just one drive with more than one first down. This is not all on Lawrence, but given two fourth-quarter drives to secure or win the game, the Jaguars produced one first down. With such a game, and such a contract, will come questions and scrutiny. At some point, the great quarterbacks must carry the team in that situation. I expect that time will come. It did not come Sunday.
Dean from Rochester, NY
Now we know. It's coaching and play calling.
It's always coaching in the NFL.
Andy from Alpharetta, GA
They were looking pretty good … and then they just weren't. What happened?
A lost fumble here. A dropped third down pass or two there. Turnovers and failing to pick up third downs can cause a decent offensive day to go bad in a hurry.
Scott from Fernandina Beach, FL
Imo, the fourth-and-1 from our 32 with the lead and an entire quarter to play was a bad decision.
You're referencing Head Coach Doug Pederson opting to go for a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Jaguars 32 on the first play of the fourth quarter. The play failed when Etienne found no room running left and circled back to his right only to be tackled for a two-yard loss. Many O-Zone readers questioned the decision. I didn't love it. But this approach should come as no surprise. Pederson is aggressive. He goes for first downs on fourth down more than many "older-school" coaches. When it works, it often goes unnoticed. When it doesn't work, it's easy to criticize. He's not going to change the approach.
Mike from Lakeland, FL
You have a franchise quarterback in control of the offense against the most explosive offense in recent memory and you take the ball out if his hands in the second half?
I didn't get this impression watching Sunday's game from the press box. It felt as if the Jaguars were running well and maintaining balance. It also felt as if the Jaguars didn't get that many offensive plays, with only 50 compared to 65 for Miami. Maybe it will feel different when I rewatch it Monday morning. This isn't a great answer. I just didn't have that feel.
Rob from San Antonio, TX
Oh boy…
Yeah, that one was brutal.
