JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines what we learned in the Jaguars' 27-25 loss to the Cleveland Browns at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville Sunday
1.The losing streak is historic. The Jaguars have lost 10 consecutive games since a Week 1 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. That's the longest single-season losing streak in franchise history.
2.Caldwell is no longer the Jaguars' general manager. Jaguars Owner Shad Khan dismissed David Caldwell late Sunday afternoon, ending Caldwell's tenure as the Jaguars' general manager after nearly eight full seasons. The Jaguars went 37-86 with one postseason appearance during his tenure.
3.Baalke is the interim general manager. Trent Baalke, hired as the Jaguars' director of player personnel this past offseason, will serve as the interim general manager. Baalke spent 2011-2016 as the San Francisco 49ers' general manager. The 49ers were 51-44-1 with three NFL Championship Game appearances and one Super Bowl appearance during his tenure.
4.Marrone is the head coach … Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone and the team's coaching staff reportedly will remain in place through at least the end of the regular season.
5. … and the team is still playing for Marrone. The Jaguars were without a slew of defensive starters Sunday, and four of the team's top five cornerbacks were out. COVID-19 forced the defensive staff to work remotely last week, and coordinator Todd Wash was one of three defensive coaches unavailable Sunday. Despite that, the Jaguars played scrappy defense much of the game and were a two-point conversion from possibly taking a playoff-contending team to overtime. "Obviously, I understand that about the record, but as far as the character and all that stuff, these guys work hard," Marrone said. "Right now, we're just not doing enough things to win football games."
6.Robinson remains good … There were more on-field storylines for the Jaguars Sunday, but rookie running back James Robinson remained a prominent one. Robinson, a rookie free agent, rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries Sunday – his third 100-yard game in the last five games.
7. … and that shouldn't change soon. What's striking about Robinson is his consistency. There's nothing fluky in his style. It's not that he reels off spectacular runs every game, but he finds holes and extra yards remarkably consistently. Jaguars quarterback Mike Glennon said after Sunday's game Robinson is one of the league's better running backs. He's right.
8. … and he deserves consideration for Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Pro Bowl. Robinson has rushed for 890 yards and six touchdowns on 194 carries this season. He's on pace for nearly 1,300 yards rushing and is averaging 4.6 yards a carry against defenses that know he's the focus of the offense. That's big-time stuff and should be honored as such.
9.The offensive line deserves credit, too. The line has had issues this season in pass protection, some of which are caused by trailing so often and being in a lot of obvious passing situations. But this is a good run-blocking offensive line – as evidenced on multiple occasions again Sunday.
10.The injury thing remains real. The Jaguars entered the game without defensive end Josh Allen, cornerbacks CJ Henderson, Sidney Jones IV, D.J. Hayden and Chris Claybrooks and safety Daniel Thomas. And guard Andrew Norwell and wide receivers DJ Chark Jr. and Chris Conley. The trend continued Sunday when rookie defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton sustained a knee injury late in the game. Marrone said afterward Hamilton's injury didn't look good. Not a lot has looked good for this team in terms of injuries lately.
11.Johnson has some potential. Rookie wide receiver Collin Johnson, a fifth-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, flashed in training camp and had been comparatively quiet since. He wasn't quiet Sunday, making four receptions for 96 yards and a 46-yard touchdown in his first career start.
12.Glennon's a fine option for the rest of the season. The journeyman started for the first time since 2017 Sunday and played well with 20-of-35 passing for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Marrone wasn't ready to name a starter for next Sunday, and he must decide between Glennon and Gardner Minshew II to start in Minnesota. But Glennon did nothing Sunday to make you think he can't start effectively over the last five games.
13.Cooke is good. Jaguars punter Logan Cookie punted three times for a 44.3-yard net average and three inside the 20. Another good day for the third-year veteran.
14.Turnovers matter. Yes, the Jaguars lost Sunday despite winning the takeaway-giveaway ratio, 1-0. That's the second time this season that has happened. But a fumble recovery by safety Andrew Wingard led to an early second-half touchdown that helped keep the game close in the second half. This Jaguars team doesn't always win winning the turnover battle. But it rarely has a chance when it doesn't.
