Zay Jones on Jaguars' Losing Streak: 'October Has Been Spooky'
To say October has been a rough month for the Jaguars would be putting it lightly. In a month full of losses, turnovers, goblins, and ghouls, the month has been, well, spooky.
“October has been spooky, to say the least," Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones said on Monday.
"You want to play your best football in November and December. You don’t want to peak too soon, and I feel as though this team is on pace to do something special down the road."
For the Jaguars, peaking too early is certainly a concern worth monitoring. The Jaguars were one of the NFL's best teams through the first three weeks of the season, going 2-1 with a score differential of +46 and a turnover differential of +7.
But since October began and the pumpkins came out, the Jaguars have faced tough sledding. The Jaguars are 0-3 in October, losing two divisional games in the process and coming up short against the NFL's only undefeated team due to a rare five-turnover game from quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
In October, the Jaguars have a score differential of -22 and a turnover differential of -7. The defense that was allowing 12.66 points per game in September has allowed 25.33 in October, including a season-worst 34 points in Week 6 vs. the Colts.
Meanwhile, the offense that scored 27.6 points per game in September has scored just 15.66 points per game in October considering one of their three touchdowns against the Eagles came on defense. This includes a Week 5 loss where the Jaguars mustered just six points against a bad Houston Texans defense.
“I’m still confident in this group, coaches, players. When you put the tape on, it’s about us and about what we do, and sometimes about what we don’t do," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday.
"We’ve got a group of guys that want to get it fixed, and that’s the encouraging part. We just take them one week at a time. Some people want them sooner than later, and there’s some patience involved, and everybody needs to know the importance of every play, every snap, every series, practice, games, the whole thing. That’s just the nature of what we do.”
So, how can the Jaguars get back on track in October? Their final two games of the month are Week 6 at home vs. the 5-1 New York Giants and Week 7 in London against the 2-4 Denver Broncos. For Jones, the climb back up the standings begins this week.
"Coming up, we have an unbelievable opportunity this week against the Giants, a good football team. They run the ball well, a great challenge for our defense. We know who they have on defense as we get into them a little bit more," Jones said.
"November and December, when we start clicking at that moment, and we gain that momentum, I think that’s what makes a dangerous team and hopefully we can put ourselves in that category moving forward.”
A win against the Giants, one of the NFL's hottest teams, and the Jaguars are at 3-4 before London and with some newfound confidence. A loss on Sunday would drop them to 2-5 and give them four losses in a row, a losing streak that could shake the confidence of any team, let alone a young one without a history of winning.
In short, this week will determine what the rest of October looks like for the Jaguars. It has been downright scary to this point, but could they turn tricks into treats vs. the Giants? That is for them to decide in Week 7.
"Losses will tell you a lot about yourself, a lot about yourself as a man, and adversity and the type of character that you have instilled," Jones said. "I think we’re at a good point in our season now as a new Jaguars team to decide, ‘Are we going to turn the table and be something new? Or are we going to fall into old habits?’"
"I truly believe that this is a special group that moving forward, I believe in this group to win football games. This coaching staff does, I think our coaching staff comes with a phenomenal gameplan each and every week to allow us to be successful. I take a lot of ownership in myself to know it’s my job to execute. Looking forward, I think it’s a great opportunity for us.”
