Jaguars Set Franchise Record For Single-Season Losing Streak, Fall 27-25 to Browns
No matter what the Jacksonville Jaguars try in 2020, it just doesn't work. Today, it officially didn't work to a historical degree, even with Mike Glennon putting forth a respectable effort.
The helplessness that is the reality of the team's season continued on Sunday, with the Jaguars losing another close bout. Jacksonville came up short in a 27-25 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The loss dropped the Jaguars to 1-10, and the 10th consecutive loss sets a new franchise record for consecutive losses in a single season.
The loss was the third loss in the last four games that the Jaguars have lost by four points or fewer. As a result, the Jaguars have now been eliminated from 2020 playoff contention.
But despite the failures of Sunday, the Jaguars saw Glennon surprise quite a few people in his first start since Week 4 in 2017.
Making the start in place of a benched Jake Luton and an injured Gardner Minshew II, Glennon completed 25-of-35 passes (57.1%) for 235 yards (6.7 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns.
Glennon missed high a few times, but he mostly played a mistake-free game and didn't turn the ball over once, ending the game with a 96.7 rating. Perhaps Glennon's efforts would've sent the game into overtime had they not failed to capitalize following two touchdowns.
"I feel like I threw the ball well. Just came up a little bit short on the two-point conversations," Glennon said after the game.
"I felt good out there ... I don't think it was anything they did. Just came up short on the two-point conversions."
With 11:47 left in the third quarter, the Jaguars completed a two-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Eifert to give Jacksonville the lead. Jacksonville made the extra point attempt to give them a 20-17 lead, but the Browns were called for offsides. The penalty gave the Jaguars an option to get the ball at the Browns' one-yard line.
Instead of keeping the one-point kick, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone opted to go for two points. Marrone said after the game that it is his philosophy to go for two in those situations if the game is not a two-score game, leading to the Jaguars calling a run-pass option. The pass, intended for Keelan Cole, would fall incomplete.
"I don't know if it was just not on the same page kind of deal. I don't know who was at fault; kind of irrelevant," Glennon said after the game.
The missed points would come back to haunt the Jaguars at the end of the game, a scenario that seemed all too predictable.
After the Jaguars put forth an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that resulted in a four-yard James Robinson touchdown, the Jaguars were forced to go for two as they were down 27-25. Had they kicked the PAT earlier, they would have been down 27-26 and could have tied the game.
But they didn't. The Jaguars had to go for two once again and, once more, they failed to score. Glennon scrambled around some but eventually heaved the ball into a sea of bodies in the back of the end zone. Collin Johnson caught the ball but was out of bounds, effectively ending Jacksonville's chances.
"I think I had someone open that I wish I would've seen but I didn't see it," Glennon said.
Despite the missed chances to tie the game, the Jaguars still made some plays on offense. The biggest play was a 47-yard touchdown by Collin Johnson, who had a career day with four catches for 96 yards. Johnson found a soft spot in zone coverage, caught a good toss from Glennon, and then turned on the jets.
"I didn't know he had that kind of burst," Glennon said.
"I knew I could make it. I saw the coverage, they were in zone coverage -- Cover 3," Johnson recalled after the game. "Mike threw a perfect ball and I just did the rest to help my team out."
Jacksonville's defense was missing defensive coordinator Todd Wash and two other assistants due to COVID-19 protocols, along with a number of starters due to injury. Despite this, the young and patchworked unit came out hungry and forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the game thanks to a Dawuane Smoot sack and Myles Jack tackles for loss.
But Jacksonville's defense was less than stellar for the rest of the game. Led by safeties coach Joe Danna for the day, the unit struggled to stop the run or get the Browns off the field on third down.
"I wouldn't say it was necessarily different. Pretty much the same calls," Jaguars safety Jarrod Wilson said about the difference in the defense after the game. "There was no difference really. Just have to go out there and execute."
Cleveland didn't wait long to answer back to Jacksonville's field goal in the first quarter, taking just five plays to get 55 yards downfield after a 43-yard D'Ernest Robinson kick return. Jarvis Landry beat undrafted rookie cornerback Luq Barcoo for a five-yard touchdown, a sign of things to come for Jacksonville's defense against Landry.
With Landry being covered primarily by two rookies in Barcoo (in his first career start) and fourth-rounder Josiah Scott, the veteran receiver more or less had his way with the Jaguars' defense. Jacksonville allowed Landry to record 8 catches and 143 yards to go along with his touchdown.
But while Landry did the most damage against the Jaguars' defense in the passing game, it was a predictable duo that hurt Jacksonville's defense the most. The Jaguars had no answers for running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, with the NFL's best backfield having a relatively easy day against the Jaguars.
The Jaguars talked all week about putting an emphasis on stopping Hunt and Chubb, but the talk resulted in numerous big runs and the duo effectively icing away in the fourth quarter. Chubb scored a one-yard touchdown to cap off a 90-yard scoring drive while he and Hunt combined for three runs over 20 yards.
The Browns rushed for 207 yards on 33 carries (6.9 yards per carry), with Chubb rushing for 144 yards on 19 carries (7.6 yards per carry) and Hunt rushing 10 times for 62 yards (6.2 yards per carry).
But the Jaguars had their own star running back attempt to put them over the top. Robinson turned in his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season on Sunday, rushing 22 times for 128 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Robinson also caught five passes for 31 yards, giving him his sixth game with 100 scrimmage yards this year.
But even despite Robinson trying to push the Jaguars to victory, it didn't matter. Even with Glennon and Collin Johnson making plays, it didn't matter.
The Jaguars haven't found a way to win since Sept. 13. The current losing streak is now the most severe any team in franchise history has undergone.
Jacksonville lost a close game on Sunday, their third close loss in the last month. But close losses mean little to a spiraling team that is desperate to figure out a way to stop the losing.
"Obviously it's tough. It is frustrating. We have to find a way to win," safety Jarrod Wilson said after the game. "I don't think anybody in there is happy about that situation."
