5 Observations From Jaguars' OT Loss to Vikings: Collin Johnson Impresses Again

In their first overtime game in three years, the Jacksonville Jaguars once again came up just short. This time it was a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in a tough road game that the Jaguars likely feel they let get away with him.

This has become a tradition with the 2020 squad, which now sits at 1-11 after 11 straight losses. They play hard every week and more often than not are in the game in the final three minutes, but they just haven't learned how to win.

“I think, to me, wins [and] losses aside, I think you could sum up [the] 2020 Jaguars as a gritty group that gives it their all and have each other’s backs. But there’s no pointing fingers," Jaguars quarterback Mike Glennon said after the game. "So although we haven’t won many games, it’s a group that I’d love to go to battle with and I think everyone on the team feels the same way.”

Glennon put it well. The Jaguars once again showed a ton of heart and even playmaking ability on Sunday, but self-inflicted mistakes haunted them. But what else did we learn from the game? We give our five biggest takeaways here.

Collin Johnson has seized his new opportunities

For all of the mistakes former Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell made, you have to give him credit when it comes to drafting receivers. Other than a whiff on Marqise Lee in 2014, Caldwell found some quality NFL receivers via the draft, and 2020 fifth-round pick Collin Johnson looks like the latest example. Johnson has had to play more over the last two weeks due to injuries, and the 6-foot-6 rookie from Texas has completely seized the opportunity that has come with increased playing time.

6'7 Mike Glennon to #Jaguars 6'6 rookie Collin Johnson is the connection we needed.pic.twitter.com/l8naRpaatX
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 6, 2020

One week after catching four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown against the Browns, Johnson once again led the Jaguars in receiving yards with a four-catch, 66-yard day. Against the Vikings on Sunday, Johnson also caught the two-point conversion to send the game to overtime. In the last two weeks, he has eight catches for 162 yards (20.25 yards per catch) with one touchdown and a two-point conversion catch. That includes four catches of at least 20 yards and two of at least 34. He has developed a great deal since Week 1 and is deserving of more targets over the next month.

On a similar note, DJ Chark deserves better

While Collin Johnson thrived on Sunday, DJ Chark didn't have as much luck. He caught a season-low two passes on seven targets, giving him another season-low in terms of the percentage of targets caught (28.6%). With that said, only one of these failed targets seemed like Chark's fault, and that play was the result of a terrific hit from safety Harrison Smith. Otherwise, Chark had his way with Minnesota's secondary and was constantly open on the perimeter. Glennon just couldn't get him the ball -- see his first touchdown and his last interception for big examples, but there were many.

This has become a trend with Chark. For all of the faults he has, and there are certainly some, it still feels like he isn't the reason his 2020 hasn't panned out the way many hoped or thought it would. He was frequently running wide open on Sunday but it still felt impossible to get the ball to him. This has been true for most of this year, just as it was true with Allen Robinson during his peak Jaguars years. Chark may not be perfect, but one has to think him being paired with a legitimate quarterback would go to show just how talented he is.

Joe Schobert has found his footing in the defense, but he will have to do the same next year

Jacksonville's only splash free agent signing this offseason was middle linebacker Joe Schobert. Schobert's biggest impact on the defense for much of the first half of the season was that he allowed Myles Jack to shift outside, but the early returns otherwise weren't promising. Schobert has changed this in recent weeks though, and it has become clear he has finally found his footing after learning a new defense in a year with no real offseason or preseason. Schobert had his best game of the season in Minnesota, collecting 12 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two quarterback hits, and a pick-six at the start of the third quarter.

“Yeah, well speaking first off for myself, fourth defense in five years and I didn’t really have an offseason, so you can know the stuff but until you start playing and experience it in a game you don’t have that comfort level," Schobert said after the game. "And I feel like that’s grown as the year’s gone on. Playing next to a guy like Myles [Jack], that really helps and benefits me and I think as a whole team defense."

Schobert makes an important point here, and a point that you can see playing out in real-time on Sundays. With that said, the chances are Schobert will be learning his fifth defense in six years next year. The hope is he can hit the ground running, but for now, he is at least coming into form and playing like an impact middle linebacker.

Dawuane Smoot has played himself into consideration for a new deal

Dawuane Smoot had the best season of his career in 2019, collecting six sacks and coming into his own as a rotational pass rusher. With four games remaining in 2020, Smoot is on track to match or exceed his 2019 production. And judging by his play this season, whoever is the next to call shots in Jacksonville's front office will have a real decision to make when it comes to keeping Smoot, who is in the final year of his rookie deal.

Smoot was dominant against the Vikings, collecting two sacks, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits. He now leads the team in sacks with 4.5 and is just 1.5 sacks away from reaching his mark of six from last year. He may not be your prototypical edge rusher, but his power and explosion make him so disruptive on a weekly basis. Maybe he won't ever play more than 55% to 60% of the defensive snaps each year, but he has done enough to at least warrant consideration for a new deal in Jacksonville.

Sunday once again showed the Jaguars what the importance of a quality starting quarterback is

If the Jaguars had an average starting quarterback, it is hard to say they don't win that game. Mike Glennon turned the ball over three times, missed out on a touchdown on the second drive due to an errant throw, took a safety, and his lone touchdown should have been intercepted. He finished with the eighth-lowest EPA of all quarterbacks who played on Sunday per rbsdm.com, and there were several other non-disastrous plays that were just poor throws.

Despite this, the Jaguars still took the Vikings to overtime and still had more than a few chances to win. This game was a perfect piece of evidence for why the Jaguars need to find a true franchise quarterback. With even a decent quality starting quarterback, they win games like the one on Sunday. Until they find that passer, they will keep losing.

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