Jaguar Report

Week 2 Jaguars Report Card: What Ups and Downs Occurred During 33-30 Loss?

Who earns passing grades from JaguarReport for their performance on Sunday against the Titans? We review here.
John Shipley|
Week 2 Jaguars Report Card: What Ups and Downs Occurred During 33-30 Loss?
Week 2 Jaguars Report Card: What Ups and Downs Occurred During 33-30 Loss?

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) had to suffer through their first tough loss of the 2020 season on Sunday, dropping a road game to the Tennessee Titans (2-0) by a narrow 33-30 score. But even in the loss, which truly came down to the wire, there are performances worth praising ... and some worth critiquing.

After most of the roster graded out well in last week's 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars saw a few groups take a step back in Week 2. They also saw a few positions establish themselves as the strength of the roster, however.

But how did each position group individually play, and what could it mean for the Jaguars moving forward? We pass out our Week 2 report card below to give you the answers.

QB: B+

All in all, the Jaguars should be ecstatic about what they saw from Gardner Minshew II in a tough road contest. Minshew kept the Jaguars in the game and threw three touchdowns for the third consecutive game. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he currently has the seventh-best Average Completed Air Yards figure (8.0-yard average). After a shaky first drive, Minshew carved up the Titans defense at all three levels of the field, while also performing well on third down.

The only reason Minshew's grade isn't higher this week is because of a handful of plays. He was rusty early on, going 2-of-6 on the first drive and throwing high several times. His first interception wasn't his fault, but the second interception was a tipped pass that he telegraphed to the defensive tackle who deflected it. Add in a really bad sack that lost 20 yards in the first half when Minshew could have just thrown it away, and there are things to improve on still. With that said, it was a pretty good day for the second-year quarterback.

RB: A

Other than finding more running room early in the game, there is nothing anyone can say critically about the performance of Jacksonville's running backs on Sunday. Only two running backs took snaps, with James Robinson once again serving as the team's lead back and Chris Thompson as the pass-catching change of pace back. Both Robinson and Thompson scored touchdowns as well, with each serving an important role in the offense.

Robinson was even better in Week 2 than he was in his impressive NFL debut a week earlier. The undrafted rookie wasn't tackled for a loss a single time, rushing 16 times for 102 yards (6.4 average), including a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He once again displayed good vision, instincts for where holes were open and good burst through the second level.

As for Thompson, he made two plays of note. On the same drive as Robinson's touchdown run, Thompson converted a third-and-2 by displaying terrific patience at the line of scrimmage and then accelerating through the gap. Thompson then scored on an excellent 14-yard catch on a wheel route when matched up with a linebacker in coverage, which tied the game at 30-30.

WR: A

If it wasn't for two misplays by rookie receiver Collin Johnson, Jacksonville's receivers would get an A+ here. All of the four top receivers on the depth chart made big plays for the offense, showing the versatility and depth the Jaguars have at the position.

DJ Chark has yet to see a heavy dosage of targets this season, but he caught all four passes thrown to him for 84 yards (21 yards per catch). This included a 45-yard gain on a tough catch in double coverage, which is the longest play from scrimmage the Jaguars have recorded this season.

Keelan Cole continued his fourth-year resurgence, frequently beating Tennessee's man coverage and more or less running wide open every time he was targeted. He caught 6-of-7 targets for 58 yards (9.7-yard average) and a touchdown, his second touchdown of the season. He had a big 23-yard catch on a slot fade in the second half that displayed his ability to stretch the field, and his two-yard touchdown was a display of tremendous awareness and instincts.

Laviska Shenault was once again a factor in the running game, totaling five carries for 37 yards (7.4 average), but it was the plays he made at receiver that should excite Jacksonville. On two separate occasions Minshew targeted Shenault near the right sideline on third down and on each occasion, Shenault was able to high point the ball for an excellent catch and first down conversion. He finished the day with three catches for 15 yards.

Chris Conley has become a bit of a forgotten man since he is the Jaguars' No. 4 receiver, but he had a solid game in his own right. He caught four passes for 48 yards and displayed good hands and yards after the catch ability. Johnson unfortunately had a poor showing; he was the reason Minshew threw an interception on the first drive, and he dropped a pass that should have been a touchdown in the second quarter. He was in a good position to catch the pass, but he attempted to wait on the ball instead of attacking it, leading to the non-catch. The Jaguars would then have to settle for a field goal.

TE: B

While Jacksonville's tight end group started a bit slow, they did a good job of making an impact throughout the game on Sunday. Tyler Eifert was open throughout the day and had an excellent catch for his first touchdown with the Jaguars, a 19-yard grab in contested coverage up the seam. Eifert was beaten on two reps by Malcolm Butler when Eifert was lined up out wide, however, with Butler using his length and physicality to disrupt Eifert at the catch point. It was overall a good performance by Eifert (three catches for 36 yards), even if it could have been better.

Meanwhile, James O'Shaughnessy caught all four of his targets for 40 yards and provided Minshew a security blanket on key downs. He has looked healthy in his return from the ACL injury that ended his 2019 season, and hew as one of the more consistent pass=catchers on the field on Sunday.

OL: A

Is there really anything too negative to point out when it comes to Jacksonville's offensive line and its performance in Week 2? They frequently opened up holes for Robinson and they kept Minshew clean, with the only sacks Minshew taking being his own fault for either leaving the pocket too early or failing to get rid of the ball. Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor were each particularly impressive, with Taylor shutting down Jadeveon Clowney for most of the game. Taylor did seemingly have one negative play, however, as he didn't block anyone on a third down on the second-to-last possession of the game. Clowney would get the hit on Minshew and force an incompletion due to the miscommunication.

The biggest issue for the offensive line came early in the third quarter when center Brandon Linder left with a knee injury, but backup center Tyler Shatley performed admirably in his place. If Shatley has to start any games moving forward, the Jaguars shouldn't feel completely disheartened.

DL: C-

In terms of pass-rushing, the defensive line would get closer to a D or maybe even an F. K'Lavon Chaisson had a nice rep against a guard while slanting inside for his first NFL sack, and it is worth noting the sack came on third down and prevented the Titans from kicking a field goal. Aside from that sole play, however, there were issues when the Jaguars tried to get to the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, the Jaguars recorded eight pressures on Sunday but Josh Allen was the only defender to record multiple pressures. Add in the fact that NFL Next Gen Stats has Ryan Tannehill down with the fifth-longest average time to throw in Week 2, and it was more bad than good for Jacksonville's pass-rush unit.

With that said, the Jaguars' defensive front deserves props for the job it did against Derrick Henry. Jacksonville selling out against the run led to them getting beat as bad as they did by the pass, but the front still held Henry to 84 yards on 25 carries (3.4 yards per carry). Abry Jones and Adam Gotsis specifically deserve praise for their efforts. Jacksonville needs more impact plays from its defensive line moving forward, but the run defense has been a positive.

LB: A

Myles Jack is playing the best football of his career so far in 2020. The fifth-year linebacker has been a playmaker at weakside linebacker through two weeks, making several big plays for the Jaguars' defense. On Sunday, he had several good run stops against Henry and displayed better tackling both in space and in the box. Against the pass, Jack made several third-down stops and would have had a third-down pass breakup to force a punt were it not for a strange defensive pass interference call from the officials. Jack, who led the team with 11 tackles, is PFF's No. 4 rated linebacker this season.

Joe Schobert had a solid albeit unspectacular day, recording 10 tackles and providing a consistent presence against the run. Leon Jacobs recorded just one tackle, but it was a big tackle for loss on Henry late in the second half. Jack's performance is what drives this grade, but the linebacker group was good overall.

CB: D

There isn't a whole lot to talk about here because frankly Jacksonville's cornerbacks weren't targeted all that much. Tannehill either dumped it off in the middle of the field or to tight ends, with receivers catching just eight of his passes. With that said, Jacksonville's cornerbacks were to blame for two touchdowns; CJ Henderson was beaten by Corey Davis for a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter, while D.J. Hayden was badly beaten by Adam Humphries on a crossing route for the Titans' final touchdown. Henderson did have a good pass breakup on Davis in the second half, but that doesn't do much to offset the group giving up two touchdowns.

S: F

This would be an F- if it weren't for a few nice tackles in the box by Josh Jones, but those plays were minimal when you consider how much the Titans picked on free safety Andrew Wingard. Wingard only started due to an injury to starting safety Jarrod Wilson, but his time on the field was largely disastrous on Sunday. Wingard gave up the first touchdown of the game to Jonnu Smith and gave up a big play at the end of the first half to set the Titans up for a 51-yard field goal. Add in a few times in which he lost contain as the force player, and it was a rough day.

ST: F-

Josh Lambo missed a PAT attempt and attempted a squib kick that failed in an epic way, leading to the aforementioned field goal before halftime. That is a four-point swing by itself, but the bleeding didn't stop there for the Jaguars' special teams. Logan Cooke also had his final punt travel further than 30 yards, giving the Titans easy field position to drive for the game-winning field goal. Chris Claybrooks also muffed several punts, though he didn't lose any of the fumbles to the Titans.

Note: this is a free preview of our premium room. Our premium membership program will begin soon.

Published
John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

Share on XFollow _john_shipley
Home/Duval Insider+