Red-Zone Struggles, Christian Kirk Shines: Jaguars Winners and Losers From Week 1
Week 1 wasn't particularly kind to the Jaguars.
Pederson's squad had chance after chance to take command of the 28-22 road loss to the Washington Commanders, but they never made the plays available to them that would have put the game out of reach.
"I talk a lot about starting games fast, which I thought, if we just end that drive with a catch in the end zone, there’s a touchdown on your opening drive, then to start the second half, be able to do the same thing," Pederson said on Monday. "We’re not going to panic. We’re just going to get in there and go to work and make the adjustments and come out swinging in the second half.”
So, who impressed and who struggled? We break it down below.
Christian Kirk
It is tough to say any player was a bigger winner from the Jaguars than Christian Kirk. Kirk and the Jaguars were ripped to shreds this offseason, but Kirk was more or less uncoverable for Washington's defense on Sunday and his usage was just as most hoped it would be. Kirk led the Jaguars in targets on Sunday, with Lawrence looking his way 12 times on his 42 attempts. Kirk's six catches are tied for the 11th-most in Week 1, while his 117 yards are the sixth-most and his 19.5 average was the seventh-most. In short, Kirk was one of the most productive receivers in the entire NFL in the opening week.
"I’ve kind of said it before and early on, I’m confident in what I can do, and from day one I’ve always known the player that I am and what I’m going to continue being, so, that’s why I kind of just blocked out the outside noise and just let them talk because none of that means anything to me," Kirk said on Monday. "I know what I can do and I’m going to keep proving that.”
James Robinson
All hail James Robinson. One of the most underrated backs in the league for three years now, Robinson once again outdid all expectations on Sunday when he bounced back from last year's Achilles injury. Most wrote Robinson off as it was announced he would make a Week 1 return, but his two touchdowns and 66 yards on 11 carries showed he is still the same productive back he has always been.
“It was just outside zone and I kind of just put Jawaan [Taylor] on the spot a bit. Setting it up, and then just cutting outside," Robinson said about his touchdown run. "I knew they were going to flow a lot so I just hit it up the middle.
Travis Etienne on the ground
Sunday wasn't a great day for Travis Etienne in the passing game. Trevor Lawrence missed him for one easy touchdown, Etienne dropped another, and Etienne fumbled a third target out of bounds. But on the ground, Etienne proved why he is such a key piece to the Jaguars' offense. Etienne's explosiveness stood out in a big way, rushing for 47 yards on only four carries. He deserves more looks moving forward, especially considering his Yards After Contact mark of 7.3 led all running backs.
Jawaan Taylor
It is time to give Jawaan Taylor some credit, even if a strange case of cramps kept him off the field for the game's final and deciding offensive drive. Taylor was the only Jaguars offensive lineman who wasn't credited by Pro Football Focus with a pressure, which is a stark contrast from the tackle on the other end of the line. Add in some very strong run-blocking and Week 1 was a good showing by Taylor.
DaVon Hamilton and Foley Fatukasi
The Jaguars' defensive line didn't take over the way many hoped it would, but DaVon Hamilton and Foley Fatukasi impressed. Hamilton was disruptive against the run throughout the contest, consistently resetting the line of scrimmage from the nose tackle position. Meanwhile, Fatukasi looked more explosive than perhaps previously thought, getting a fair amount of disruption against the run and the pass. They are the two biggest reasons Washington only averaged 3.0 yards per carry.
The turnover message
The Jaguars spent the entire offseason preaching about the importance of turnovers. Few teams gave up the ball more last season and no team took it away less, with the Jaguars recording an NFL-worst nine takeaways last year. This year, the Jaguars have 33% of that mark through just four quarters, intercepting Carson Wentz twice and forcing a fumble. Each pick was a heads-up and athletic play, while the forced fumble was a solid veteran move from Josh Allen.
Losers
Red-zone offense
What a mess. The Jaguars scored on four drives in the second half, but there were multiple touchdowns they failed to record in the first-half due to either a poor throw, a poor route, a drop, or a blown block. The Jaguars have to be perfect in the red-zone considering their talent level, and instead they looked like the same offense that struggled in the red-zone all training camp and preseason. It would be easier to fix if just one unit was at fault, but it was a team issue.
Cam Robinson and Ben Bartch
The left side of the Jaguars' offensive line was credited with nine pressures, and Cam Robinson had two of the worst ones. He allowed the pressure that flushed Trevor Lawrence out of the pocket on the Jaguars' final play, along with a pressure on a missed throw to Marvin Jones that likely would have been a touchdown with a better block. Robinson was great as a run blocker, but it was a bad day in pass-pro. Bartch, meanwhile, was on the wrong end of several whiffs in the running and passing game and was one reason the Jaguars struggled in the red-zone.
“No concerns with the offensive line, and he (OL Ben Bartch) settled down," Pederson said on Monday. "You’ve got to understand, that’s two grown men in there that he took a lot of one-on-one blocks with. Early, they got him, but as he settled into the game, got a little more help from the center at times, and just kind of went back and forth, but no concerns with Ben or the offensive line.”
Shaquill Griffin and Darious Williams
It wasn't a great day for most of the Jaguars' secondary, but Shaquill Griffin and Darious Williams were the two biggest victims of Washington's passing attack. Griffin allowed a touchdown to Jahan Dotson in the first-half and then was partially responsible for the 49-yard touchdown from Terry McLaurin, while Williams was targeted on several third-downs and had two of the team's six missed tackles.
"I think it was a cover two look, and we played man inside with Darious (Williams). You look at (Andre) Cisco and Shaq (Griffin), just not being there at that time," Pederson said. Just a little bit of communication, eye placement, and eye discipline, and those are things that obviously was a big play for them, but it’s a great learning experience for our guys, when in that situation again, what to do. Again, we can explain it, coach it, teach it better and ultimately let them go play.
"We can do better at the corner position there as far as redirecting the receiver then secondly, we can be a little better with our eyes on the back end, again, it’s just teamwork. It’s 11 guys pulling together for one play.”
Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence didn't play half as bad as most would like to believe, but the critics will keep coming for him in games where he misses easy game-changing throws and then fails in big moments. Lawrence was excellent for two quarters on Sunday, but the two quarters he struggled in are a big reason the Jaguars lost.
