Jaguars vs. Titans: Week 18 Halftime Thoughts
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in trouble, going into halftime with a 21-13 deficit.
So, what did we see in the first-half of Jaguars vs. Titans? We break it down below.
Trevor Lawrence looks dialed in
Box score watchers will ding Trevor Lawrence for an interception that wasn't his fault, but he otherwise had an impressive first-half for all intents and purposes. He didn't appear as if the AC sprain in his throwing shoulder was impacting him, with several passes thrown with his signature velocity, including a 59-yard touchdown to Ridley.
The issue has been that Lawrence hasn't gotten any support. Zay Jones dropped a 16-yard completion on third-down to kill one drive, while Evan Engram dropped another third-down target which resulted in an interception and, eventually, a Titans touchdown to put the Jaguars in a 21-10 hole. Sans his interception before the end of the half, Lawrence has played well. Few others have.
Jaguars tackling remains an issue
The biggest issue for the Jaguars defense during their four-game losing streak was tackling. The Jaguars had double-digit missed tackles in each loss during the month-long losing streak and had finally settled down last week vs. the Carolina Panthers. The tackling issues arose again on Sunday, though, especially on the first drive.
First, Chig Okwonko had a 20+ yard catch and run on a screen play where the Jaguars failed to limit him on their first attempt at contact. Then, Tyjae Spears forced missed tackles from Tre Herndon, Travon Walker and Andre Cisco. If the Jaguars can't figure out a way to stop the bleeding on screen passes, it could be a long afternoon.
Jacksonville is letting Derrick Henry impact the game far too much
The way to beat the Titans has always been to take Derrick Henry out of the equation, and that hasn't changed with the 2023 version of the Titans. The Jaguars were able to get up on the Titans early in Week 11, which made Henry a non-factor. But after the Jaguars allowed a score on the first drive and then had a Zay Jones drop on third-down on their second drive of the game, the Jaguars allowed Henry to stick around.
Henry gashed the Jaguars in the first half, recording four rushes for 34 yards and two runs of 12 yards or more in the first quarter and then a 18-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. If this score holds close throughout the second half, then Henry will continue to get fed. And so far, it doesn't look like the Jaguars are prepared or equipped to take that challenge on.
