Jaguars Limp Into Halftime, Trail Ravens 26-0

Well this one has been ugly -- the Jaguars will enter the second half down by four possessions after a 26-0 first half.

The Jacksonville Jaguars once again have to fight their way out of a halftime hole, this time falling behind 26-0 against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15.

Things didn't look to appear to get off to a great start for the Jaguars' defense. Lamar Jackson picked up two first downs on his first two passes and the Ravens were quickly moving into Jaguars territory. 

But on first down from Jacksonville's 36-yard line, Lamar Jackson floated a deep pass into double coverage near the end zone, resulting in a Josh Jones interception. 

Lamar Jackson throws a pick to #Jaguars Josh Jonespic.twitter.com/jrwvQ3wROJ

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 20, 2020

It was the first interception Jones has recorded in 2020, but the Jaguars only got the ball at the one-yard line due to a blindside block penalty on Jarrod Wilson. 

But the positivity quickly eroded for the Jaguars. After a James Robinson run, the Jaguars asked Gardner Minshew to drop back on second-down. Matthew Judon beat a Tyler Eifert block on the edge while Minshew hesitated to get the ball out of his hands, leading to a sack for a safety.

No punter? No problem for our Jacksonville Jaguars!#Jaguars down 2-0 to #Ravens after opening drive safety. pic.twitter.com/I4HyXGBUzT

— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) December 20, 2020

The Ravens would go on to make the Jaguars pay for the safety and subsequent field position. Big gains from Mark Andrews (18 yards) and Marqise Brown (28 yards) helped set up a Jackson touchdown pass to Miles Boykin, putting the Jaguars in a 9-0 hole. 

Jacksonville's next drive stalled near midfield due to a few incompletions and a negative run, though Minshew did pick up 11 yards with a scramble on third down. 

But with punter Logan Cooke out with an illness, the Jaguars opted to go for it on fouth-and-5. The Jaguars allowed a free rusher off the left edge, forcing Minshew to leave the pocket and eventually get sacked by Patrick Queen.

It took the Ravens little effort to increase their lead. Following the turnover on downs, the Ravens marched down the field in six plays on a 49-yard scoring drive, capping it off with a two-yard J.K. Dobbins touchdown. 

Jacksonville would go for another fourth-and-5 with 3:23 left in the second quarter, but Minshew heaved a ball into a general direction of a receiver without the ball actually landing near them, resulting in another turnover on downs.

The beating didn't end there, however, with Dez Bryant beating the Jaguars for his first touchdown in over three years after beating Greg Mabin for an 11-yard catch in the final 1:30 of the first half, putting the Ravens in a 26-0 lead.

Other Notes

• Only one Jaguars receiver had a catch through the first three drives: Collin Johnson with an eight-yard grab.
• Minshew finished the first half with 8 of 11 passing for 53 yards (4.8 yards per attempt), but he lost 20 yards on four sacks.
• The Jaguars' offense gained 61 net yards on 29 plays, just 2.1 yards per play.
• Myles Jack, K'Lavon Chaisson each recorded tackles for loss of Lamar Jackson in the second quarter. 
• DJ Chark's first target came with 6:29 in the second quarter, a 10-yard catch.