Week 1 Jaguars Report Card: Reviewing the Good and Bad From 27–20 Victory
Victory Monday is here for the Jacksonville Jaguars' roster, coaching staff, front office and fanbase, and it comes against a familiar opponent.
After having to hear about the notion the team is tanking for the last several months, the Jaguars came out swinging to start the 2020 season, beating the Indianapolis Colts 27-20 at TIAA Bank Field. It is the sixth-straight time the Jaguars have beaten the Colts in Jacksonville, which is arguably the most dominant streak the Jaguars have ever had against their AFC South rivals.
But how did each position group individually play, and what could it mean for the Jaguars moving forward? We pass out our Week 1 report card below to give you the answers.
QB: A-
There isn't a whole lot that needs to be discussed here. Gardner Minshew II had the best completion percentage of any Week 1 quarterback ahead of Monday Night Football, completing 19-of-20 passes (95%). He didn't throw for a lot of yards with just 173 on the day, which was the third-fewest among all starting QBs before MNF, but he was the most efficient quarterback in the league through the first 14 games. His lone incompletion came on a drop by Laviska Shenault, and he didn't truly make a single bad decision with the ball. He threw three touchdown passes to three different players and so far has the best touchdown percentage (15%) and second-best adjusted yard per attempts (11.7) figures in the league. He was the first NFL quarterback to ever post a completion percentage of at least 95% and throw three touchdowns on Kickoff Weekend -- simply put, it was an all-around stellar performance.
It wasn't all positive for Minshew, of course. He had just one completion that traveled 20 yards in the air, though this was due more so to the game plan. The worst things he did was escape the pocket too early for minimal gains on a few scrambles and taking one unnecessary sack on third-down due to holding onto the ball too long. But even in those areas, he at least had good ball security in those instances compared to last season. It was a really good showing from Minshew in Week 1. There is room to get better, but the game had to be encouraging for the Jaguars' hopes for Minshew.
RB: B
Only two running backs touched the ball so this one doesn't have a whole lot to talk about. Undrafted free agent James Robinson was better than his modest rushing figures (16 carries for 62 yards) indicate. He had 10 carries for 61 yards and four first downs in the first half, but the run blocking fell off of a steep cliff in the second half of the game. When the blocking was there, however, Robinson showed good burst through the hole, vision, instincts and the ability to create yards after contact. In a lot of ways, he was the anti-Leonard Fournette. He also had the Jaguars' biggest play of the day in terms of yardage, taking a swing pass for 28-yards thanks to his amazing hurdle over two Colts defenders.
Chris Thompson surprisingly didn't play all that much and when he did he served mostly as a pass blocker or an untargeted receiver out of the backfield. He caught two passes for six yards, one on a screen and one as a check down option, but ultimately he didn't make an impact on the game.
Robinson didn't do anything worth knocking in this game, but the only thing keeping the group from an A is the lack of consistency in the second half.
WR: A
Outside of the aforementioned drop by Shenault, there wasn't a real mistake made all day by Jacksonville's receivers. They caught everything that came their way aside from one pass, did a good job picking up yards after catch, and all five receivers who were active caught at least one pass and every receiver but Chris Conley caught a first down. DJ Chark, Keelan Cole and Shenault all caught touchdown passes, with Chark running a good route on his, Cole showing great balance on his 22-yard score, and Shenault beating Malik Hooker across the middle of the field in man coverage for his touchdown.
Jacksonville would likely want to see their receivers have more explosive plays since Coles' 22-yard catch was the only one over 20 yards for the entire game. But with what the receivers were asked to do by the coaching staff, they really couldn't have done much more.
TE: D
While some will think this grade is the result of the group's lack of production in the passing game Sunday, it is more so a mix of both that and their second half performance as run blockers. In terms of being big parts of the passing attack, Tyler Eifert and James O'Shaughnessy combined for two catches for eight yards on two targets. Eifert was open throughout the game, specifically on one play in which Minshew pumped and considered throwing to him in the middle of the field before scrambling for a few yards. The Jaguars simply didn't turn to their tight ends much, though neither stood out as a major mismatch for the Colts.
In terms of run blocking, Eifert, O'Shaughnessy and undrafted rookie Ben Ellefson had their moments in the first half but ultimately lost too often at the point of attack as the game marched on. Jacksonville got nothing out of their run game following the second quarter, and a lack of sufficient blocking on the edge played a big part in this. Eifert does deserve praise for his blocking on Robinson's catch and run, however.
OL: C
It was a bit of a mixed bag for Jacksonville's offensive line but it is likely a performance the team is satisfied with. The Colts sacked Minshew four times but only two of those instances were due to the offensive line being beat (Jawaan Taylor by Denico Autry and Cam Robinson by Justin Houston). Overall the Jaguars got the ball out of Minshew's hands fairly quickly but the offensive line kept him upright more often than not. They neutralized DeForest Buckner in his Colts' debut, with Andrew Norwell having a particularly impressive game.
In terms of run blocking, the Jaguars had a dominant first half, specifically Cam Robinson. The holes for James Robinson were wide and easy to find, with the Jaguars getting a lot of movement against the Colts' defensive front. They regressed in the second half when the Colts changed up their defensive line scheme, however, with Brandon Linder, A.J. Cann and Jawaan Taylor each having their down moments.
DL: C-
The Jaguars did hold the Colts and their elite offensive line and stable of running backs to just 88 rushing yards, so the defensive line deserves a lot of praise in that regard. Abry Jones made maybe the biggest run stop on the day during a fourth-and-one near the goal line in the first half, while rookie nose tackle DaVon Hamilton flashed throughout the game. With that said, no Jaguars defensive lineman recorded a single tackle for loss, which goes to show that for the most part the Jaguars were stout but not disruptive.
In terms of getting a consistent pass rush, the Jaguars' only real threat was Josh Allen. Allen got several hits and pressures on Philip Rivers, but K'Lavon Chaisson's lone pressure came on a stunt that sent him inside. Dawuane Smoot had an impressive pressure from defensive end in the fourth quarter, but no Jaguars lineman recorded a sack and none outside Allen were truly impacting the game. They get a bit of leeway here since Rivers gets the ball out of his hands so quick, and since the Colts' offensive line is maybe the best in the league, but they will need to make more plays moving forward.
LB: B-
This one may surprise some, but upon re-watch it was really impressive what Jacksonville's linebackers did on Sunday. Myles Jack and Joe Schobert each missed one tackle in space but otherwise the duo looked sharp and flew to the ball, far from the sloppy play many expected out of defenders in 2020. Jack was one of Jacksonville's biggest playmakers, recording 11 tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. He was in position to make a stop far more frequently than he typically was in game's last season, and he made a number of impressive stops vs. the pass as well. He did get flagged for a defensive pass interference, but that call looked iffy.
As for Schobert, he had eight tackles and one tackle for loss in his Jaguars debut and he more or less looked the part. I expect him to make more plays in coverage, but the Colts made sure to attack the zones behind or underneath him instead of directly in the middle of the field, so he didn't have as many opportunities as usual. The only reason the Jaguars' linebacker duo doesn't get a higher grade is due to their inability to stop any screen pass the Colts threw at them.
CB: C-
If we are talking about just CJ Henderson, this would be an A+. Henderson was absolutely dominant in his NFL debut, recording three pass deflections (technically it should be four but nonetheless) and one interception. This included an interception and 22-yard return that set up Jacksonville's first touchdown, as well as the game-clinching pass breakup against T.Y. Hilton on fourth-down on the game's final real play.
But the cornerbacks behind Henderson were largely hit or miss. Rookie cornerback Chris Claybrooks was targeted often by Rivers when he had to sub into the game but he impressed, making a few solid open-field tackles and not allowing any major gains or first downs. Tre Herndon had his moments, including a terrific pass breakup in the end zone in the first quarter, but he also drew a bad pass interference and got beat by Parris Campbell at times. Nobody struggled more than D.J. Hayden, though, who was picked on by Rivers every time the Jaguars were in man coverage. Whether it was Hilton or Campbell, Hayden just couldn't keep up with their speed and quickness.
S: C-
Three different players account for this grade: Josh Jones, Jarrod Wilson and Andrew Wingard. Each had their positive moments, while the two starting safeties also had their share of negative moments.
Jones essentially played as an extra linebacker for the Jaguars, spending most of his time in the box. He had some terrific open-field tackles and even made a tackle for loss after flying off of the edge of the formation. He showed the hard-hitting, thumping ability the Jaguars like in their strong safety, but he looked stiff in coverage and didn't provide much value in that regard. Still, he led the team in tackles with 12.
Wilson made three tackles but struggled mightily in coverage. He was slow to react to a few developing intermediate passes, while also getting beat often when asked to cover a receiver in man-to-man. With that said, he did contribute to the major fourth-down goal line run stop, serving as the reinforcement to Abry Jones' tackle.
Wingard didn't play many snaps, instead being on the field for just two drives. But he made the biggest play of the game when he intercepted Rivers and set the Jaguars up to take a 27-20 lead, giving the safety group a big bump.
ST: C-
Josh Lambo was once again perfect, but that is the only real highlight from Jacksonville's special teams. The kick coverage team struggled, allowing 41 yards and 24 yards on two different kick returns. Punter Logan Cooke had one punt that traveled just 31 yards to the Colts' 33-yard line, but he recovered and had a few booming punts by the end of the game. Claybrooks had a solid 39-yard return as the first half expired, but he also had a nearly disastrous 11-yard return out of the end zone to start the game.
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