Game Balls: Browns 27, Jaguars 25

Jacksonville came up just short in their efforts to take down the favorited Cleveland Browns on Sunday, losing 27-25 for their 10th loss in a row. But despite the loss, which Jaguars are worth praising for their individual efforts?

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10) were a couple of two-point conversion coaching decisions away from tying and possibly defeating the Cleveland Browns (8-3) on Sunday but came up short, 27-25 for the worst single-season losing streak in franchise history. 

Still there were bright moments and players that stood out and almost made the difference in the game. Jaguar Report's Kassidy Hill recognizes them here with game balls. 

Offense 

Rookie receiver Collin Johnson was used sparingly through the first 10 games, running the gamut from jaw-dropping touchdowns to bad drops in the way that is expected for a rookie receiver. On Sunday, with DJ Chark and Chris Conley out due to injury, Johnson was asked to step up; and he did just that. He had a team-high receptions (4), targets (8), and yards through the air (97) along with a 46-yard touchdown from Mike Glennon.

The duo played their most significant snaps of the season and Johnson says the chemistry was there because of hours of scout team work paying off.

“In practice, you know, oftentimes Mike [Glennon] will go with the scout team and I'll help out with the scout team as well. It's easy to kind of just think that, you know, that’s not a live rep but if you approach it with, you know, it’s opportunity to get work in then you're building chemistry even in practice and when our number's called in the game I feel like it shows so you just got to take every rep in practice serious whether you're going with the one's, two’s, scout team, whatever. And I feel like that's what we were doing.”

On the Jags' first drive of the second quarter, Glennon dropped back and rainbow-ed a pass towards the left sideline. Johnson hauled it in and picked up 24 yards after the catch while booking it past the defensive back. The speedometer on the video board clocked him at just under 20-miles per hour.

“I knew I could make it,” explained Johnson.

“I saw the coverage, they were in zone coverage, cover three so you know when I was making my way across I knew the opening in the zone and Mike threw a perfect ball. And I just, you know, kept running and did the rest to help my team out.”

Said Glennon of his receiver, “Me and Collin got a lot of work together through training camp. He’s a big target, he’s easy to find, and there’s not many receivers in the NFL that are his height – I don’t even know if there’s any. He had a great game. That touchdown I threw – I didn’t know he had that kind of burst. I figured it was going to be a big completion. The next thing you know he turns a corner and takes it to the house. He had a really good game.”

Honorable Mention: Running back James Robinson, as always. This Sunday he had 159 yards from scrimmage. 

Defense 

Jarrod Wilson missed five games over the season with injury but back in the lineup today and with a depleted roster around him, Wilson was all over the field. Sideline to sideline, he made two touchdown-saving tackles on the same drive. There was a questionable play on that drive as well when Wilson could have sacked Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield but elected to stay in coverage. Still, his lateral play all day helped him accumulate seven total tackles, third highest in the game.

“I think the emphasis was really to stop the run,” said Wilson after the game.

“First and foremost, [27-Kareem Hunt] and [24-Nick Chubb] for them are really good backs, power backs. Cleveland’s been doing an amazing job running the football year so that was just a mentality all week, kind of, we definitely had to bring our big boy pads and make some tackles and I think we did a pretty good job of that today but definitely got a L so gotta improve.”

Special Teams 

Logan Cooke punted three times on Sunday and not only did they all place the Browns within their own 20-yard line, they were inside their own 10-yard line. One of those drives did end in a touchdown for the Browns, but the other two ended in a punt and turnover on downs. His coverage team provides assistance as well, downing the ball in advantageous spots. None of Cooke’s punts on Sunday went for touchbacks and they averaged a starting spot of the Browns 7-yard line. Cooke can’t stop drives on defense but he continues to do all he can by giving the Jaguars as much room as possible with which to work.