Jaguars 38, Chargers 10: Game Balls
Each week during the 2022 season, we will take a quick post-game look at which Jacksonville Jaguars stood out the most.
Win or lose, rain or shine, we will hand out game balls to an offensive, defensive and special teams player.
In this edition, we take a look at the Jaguars' 38-10 blowout victory against the Los Angeles Chargers and what it could mean moving forward.
Offense: Zay Jones
One of the top performers on Sunday was inarguably wide receiver Zay Jones. Several other Jaguars deserve consideration, such as James Robinson, Trevor Lawrence and Jawaan Taylor, but Jones ultimately gets the nod thanks to his overall consistency and how well he has fit with Trevor Lawrence.
Jones ended the game with a team-leading 10 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown while also scoring his first touchdown of the season. Jones didn't have any plays go longer than 16 yards, but four of his 10 catches were for first downs. Add in his touchdown, and Jones saw 50% of his targets end in a score or a new set of downs.
Jones also deserves a lot of credit for his role on his touchdown grab. It came on a broken play where Lawrence scrambled in the pocket, with Jones finding a soft spot in the zone in the back of the end zone as the defense converged on Lawrence. There were countless examples last year of Lawrence breaking the pocket and looking for a big play but not having any targets work their way open; Jones changed that on Sunday.
Defense: Josh Allen and Devin Lloyd
It isn't often that we give out multiple game balls for one side of the ball, but Week 3 is different. The Jaguars saw players such as Travon Walker, Dawuane Smoot and Darious Williams all make plays, but it was Josh Allen and Devin Lloyd who stood out the most among the talented and productive group.
Allen was a revelation for the Jaguars' defense on Sunday after two sacks and a forced fumble last week. This time, Allen notched eight pressures, four quarterback hits and multiple drawn holding calls, with most of the penalties coming in the second-half as the Jaguars forced the Chargers to pass. Allen terrorized Justin Herbert even before Rashawn Slater left with injury, but he then did what elite players do and made Slater's backup have several glaringly negative plays.
Then there is Lloyd. Lloyd, who was second on the defense on Sunday with seven tackles, had several impact plays. He made a number of impressive plays in coverage, collecting three pass breakups and an interception as he showed a big step forward as a man-coverage defender. Lloyd has been one of the defense's biggest additions and Sunday was his best game of the year.
Special teams: Riley Patterson
Who else could this go to this week? Logan Cooke had a booming 56-yard punt to pin the Chargers deep in their own territory early in the game, but it was his only punt all game. Patterson made three chip-shot field goals (all 23 yards or shorter), but he did score 15 of the Jaguars' 38 points.
