Jaguars Stock Report: Lawrence Trending Up, Defense Trending Down Following Bengals Loss
The Jacksonville Jaguars are onto Tennessee.
But before the 0-4 Jaguars host their divisional rivals at home in Week 5 in an attempt to snap a 19-game winning streak, we are going to continue to take a few more deep looks at the Jaguars' narrow 24-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football.
Which players performed well, who stood out for positive reasons, and which players appear to be on a downward slide through four weeks? We review each name here.
Stock up
Trevor Lawrence
For the first time this season, Trevor Lawrence looked at ease. There were a few missed throws here and there, but Lawrence never put the football or the game in harm's way during his four quarters on the field. Lawrence has looked more and more comfortable with each week in the Jaguars' system and this showed in a big way against the Bengals, with Lawrence finishing with a CPOE of +11 despite having an average depth of throw of nine yards. Lawrence was more accurate, made big throws on the run, was again stellar in the pocket, and this time actually showed a willingness to pull the ball and run with it. Lawrence is getting better and better since his rough first two weeks.
Shaquill Griffin
Shaquill Griffin has had his moments of brilliance as the Jaguars' unquestioned No. 1 cornerback, but Thursday against the Bengals was his first complete and consistent game from start to finish. While the Jaguars' linebackers and the Tyson Campbell/Tre Herndon duo struggled against the pass, Griffin was solid for the Jaguars in his best performance with the team thus far. Griffin was targeted six times but only gave up three completions for 16 yards, with almost all of those yards coming on one catch. Griffin recorded one pass breakup, had one stellar third-down coverage and tackle, and came up big on Ja'Marr Chase on a number of deep routes.
Laviska Shenault
Thursday was a coming-out party for Laviska Shenault Jr. Shenault had arguably his best game as a Jaguar, converting half of his eight touches into first downs as he racked up over 100 total yards with 99 receiving yards on six grabs and an 11-yard rush. Shenault was the most-targeted player on the offense for the first time this season and was the only offensive player to see more than three targets, while his overall average depth of target increased to 13.4 after an average of 5.3 over the first three weeks. The Jaguars will need more from Shenault now that DJ Chark is on the mend, and Shenault showed Thursday he is capable of providing that.
Dawuane Smoot
So far, the only reliable Jaguars' pass-rusher in 2021 has been Dawuane Smoot. Smoot was already in a somewhat comfortable lead on the team in pressures entering the game, but the veteran defensive end contributed five more pressures and a quarterback hit on Thursday, nearly half of the Jaguars' 12 total pressures as a team. No other Jaguars defender recorded more than one pressure, with the defense instead having to rely upon blitzing to impact the quarterback and move him off his spot. The sacks aren't there for Smoot yet, but the pressure has been. You can't say the same for the rest of the defense.
Andrew Norwell
If you look at James Robinson's runs from the other night, one thing will stand out aside from Robinson's clear talent: the impact that Andrew Norwell has on the Jaguars' offense. Nearly every big run came behind Norwell, who frequently uprooted his blocking assignment and provided wide rushing lanes for Robinson while also having a solid day in pass-pro. Not all of the Jaguars' linemen had the game Norwell did, with the veteran guard once again establishing himself as the team's best offensive lineman of the 2021 season.
DaVon Hamilton
The second-year nose tackle had the best game of his 2021 season. After a rocky few weeks to open the season, Hamilton had a strong performance against the Bengals as both a pass-rusher and run-stuffer. Hamilton recorded a pressure and a quarterback hit, doing so against a max-protection look, while also giving the Bengals' interior offensive line fits in the running game. The only success the Bengals had at running the ball was off-tackle, and Hamilton is a big reason why.
James Robinson
Robinson had the best game of his season on Thursday, creating multiple opportunities on his own and taking advantage of some solid blocking from the Jaguars' front. Robinson's ability to press the line of scrimmage and force linebackers into unfavorable positions and angles showed up time and time again against the Bengals, as well as his ability to create yards after contact (2.52 yards after contact per rush against the Bengals, per PFF). Robinson has flashed the entire skill set this season, with Thursday's game serving as the prime example.
The TE room
All four tight ends on the Jaguars' active roster caught a pass on Thursday, with new addition Dan Arnold finishing second on the team in receiving yards with 29. Jacob Hollister caught his lone target, Arnold created a pair of big gains in the first-half, and Luke Farrell had a terrific one-handed catch near his knees to help extend a scoring drive. Add in the blocking that Farrell and Chris Manhertz provided, and this was a much better week for a Jaguars tight end room that has struggled this season.
Stock down
Defensive infrastructure
Do the Jaguars actually have the pieces to run the defensive scheme they have spent the last 8 months planning for and implementing? It doesn't look like it. The Jaguars have one cornerback who can stick in man-to-man coverage consistently. For a team that likes to bring pressure and frequently deploy Cover 0, that is simply a losing proposition. The Jaguars don't have the front seven disruptors or athletes to take advantage of their pressure opportunities, either, while their linebacker duo has looked overmatched for their responsibilities in the scheme. The Jaguars threw everything they had at the Bengals, but nothing worked. The scheme is either broken or doesn't have the talent to work in 2021, and either result is disastrous.
Tyson Campbell
No defender had a rougher night on Thursday than rookie cornerback Tyson Campbell. The No. 33 overall pick was targeted over and over by the Bengals, especially on money downs with big implications weighing on the result. According to PFF, Campbell was targeted eight times, allowing seven completions for 158 yards (22.6 yards per catch), including giving up six first downs and gains of 44, 33, 25, and 25. Campbell couldn't win against even the Bengals' backups, losing reps to Auden Tate and Trenton Irwin. Campbell continues to actually cover decently, but his inability to find the ball in the air has become more and more of an issue.
Myles Jack
Safe for a few plays in the first two weeks, it has been hard to find anything to be satisfied with when it comes to Myles Jack's play. The veteran linebacker had the best season of his career last year, but he now looks again like the 2019 version of himself, missing tackles in space and unsure in coverage. Jack's natural play-making instincts have looked reined in this, and Thursday's game saw him frequently on the losing end of plays to Joe Mixon and C.J. Uzomah.
Tyron Johnson
Despite DJ Chark going down with an ankle injury after only three plays, Tyron Johnson once again barely saw the field for the Jaguars' offense. Johnson played just nine snaps for the Jaguars, getting severely out-snapped by Tavon Austin. Johnson has the vertical speed to win as an X receiver and should have been the first option to replace Chark, but he was instead a mere afterthought for yet another week.
Joe Cullen
Joe Cullen looked like a first-year coordinator on Thursday. The Bengals were mostly shut down in the first-half, though they still schemed up a few play-action plays and backfield actions to severely throw off the Jaguars' eye discipline. Cullen didn't change a thing after the Bengals adjust, though, frequently failing to match numbers in the box and seeing the Bengals hurt the Jaguars with tight end play-action play after tight-end play-action play. Add in a bad call to go for Cover 0 at the end of the game, and it was a bad showing for Cullen.
