Good, bad and ugly from Jags’ loss to Falcons
Jacksonville suffered their third loss in the last three games on Sunday, falling 21-14 to the Atlanta Falcons. Though Atlanta got off to the better start and led 21-3 at one point, the Jags fought back to get within seven with the ball in their possession in the final minutes.
But the Jaguars couldn’t get it done, turning the ball over on downs as they fell to 2-9 on the season. Certainly, expectations weren’t high for this team coming off a 1-15 finish last year, but the game against the Falcons was one of the more winnable games remaining on the schedule. Now, the Jaguars prepare to head to Los Angeles to take on a Rams team that is one of the best in the NFL.
There were positives and negatives in the loss to the Falcons, and here are the notable good, bad and ugly aspects.
The good: Tyson Campbell has a breakout game
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Jacksonville drafted Campbell at the top of the second round last spring, and he was very quickly thrust into a starting role on defense after the team traded cornerback C.J. Henderson to the Carolina Panthers. During the early part of the season, Campbell was Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded defensive back in coverage. But he’s been much better in recent weeks, and he had a big opportunity this week.
No. 1 cornerback Shaquill Griffin was out for this game with a concussion, meaning Campbell became the new top corner. It resulted in the best game of the rookie’s young career.
While the Georgia product didn’t make a big impact against the run, totaling just three tackles, he had an interception and three pass breakups. Atlanta’s Russell Gage had 62 yards and a score on six catches, but no other Falcons player had more than 30 receiving yards, including star rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, who was held to just 26 yards on two catches.
Campbell has a ways to go, but he played very well in a tough spot this week.
The bad: Another costly offensive injury
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Jacksonville’s offense already wasn’t particularly talented entering the season, and it’s suffered far more injuries than it could afford to see. It has been down two offensive linemen in A.J. Cann and Brandon Linder for most of the season, while rookie running back Travis Etienne, as well as receivers D.J. Chark and Jamal Agnew, are out for the year.
To make matters worse, the Jags have been without their top tight end for most of the season in James O’Shaughnessy, but he (as well as Linder) made their returns in this one. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of another key injury.
Tight end Dan Arnold, who was acquired in a trade ahead of Week 4, has been a standout in Jacksonville’s passing game, but he exited this one after his first catch with a knee injury. He was listed as questionable to return but was eventually ruled out.
O’Shaughnessy was targeted five times but made just three catches for 29 yards. Arnold has been Jacksonville’s leading receiver in several games this week, and if his injury proves to be long-term, quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be without another of his favorite targets.
The ugly: Offensive inefficiencies abound
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Though his production has still been lagging a bit behind, Lawrence has been much more efficient in recent weeks, and he was even Jacksonville’s second-highest graded offensive player in Week 11, per Pro Football Focus. But the Jaguars offense was completely out of sorts in this one, and that applied to Lawrence, as well.
While it wasn’t all on him (as has been the case all year), he continues to struggle to hit guys downfield as the receiving depth is being strained. He also threw an interception after tossing just one in the previous five games.
While James Robinson was successful on the ground, taking 17 carries for 86 yards, he was held out of the end zone and also gave the ball away on a fumble, the first lost fumble of his career.
Lawrence completed just 54.8% of his passes, and despite outgaining the Falcons, Jacksonville simply made too many mistakes to get the win in this one.
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