Jaguars 29, Jets 15: Instant Reactions
The scoreboard at TIAA Bank Field did not do any justice for the dominating performance the Jacksonville Jaguars put forth on Sunday against the New York Jets.
The 4-4 Jaguars walked out of Week 8 with only a 29-15 victory over the 1-6 New York Jets, but the game was nowhere near being that close. Sure, the Jets were trailing by only seven at one point in the fourth quarter, but that was due simply to Jacksonville's own mistakes and issues with scoring touchdowns in the red-zone. From the first snap to the last, the Jaguars were the far superior team.
This was evident when Leonard Fournette took his first handoff of the game up the middle for a 66-yard gain. Two plays later, the Jaguars were on the scoreboard after a six-yard Gardner Minshew touchdown pass to Keelan Cole. The hot start felt like it sent a shockwave of energy down the Jacksonville sideline, and the entire team benefitted because of it.
While the Jets marched down the field for a staggering 93-yard touchdown drive on their first possession, it was all Jaguars from there.
A week after Sam Darnold was haunted by the ghosts of the New England Patriots defense, the Jaguars' defense did its own impression of nightmare-inducing defense, recording eight sacks and three interceptions against the struggling second-year quarterback.
But the dominance also came from the offense, as Minshew had arguably his best game of the season. He lost one fumble in the pocket during a sack but he was flawless otherwise. From stepping up vs. pressure to delivering accurate passes in the eye of a heavy blitz gameplan from Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Minshew did it all on his way to tossing three touchdowns.
From the first whistle to the last one, it was all Jaguars. That is a strange takeaway from a game during a season where it seems like every Jaguars contest comes down to the wire, but it was the reality of Sunday.
