Dallas Cowboys vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Full Report Card Grades for Jaguars
Well, Jaguars fans, Week 10 in official in the books after the Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys 31-17 in London.
The Cowboys orchestrated a dominant performance that was led by receiver Dez Bryant (six receptions, 158 yards and two touchdowns) and running back DeMarco Murray (19 carries, 100 yards). When all was said and done, the Cowboys amassed 399 yards on offense while keeping the Jaguars to just 333 yards.
Needless to say, it was a putrid effort by the Jaguars.
Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles (22-of-37, 290 yards and one interception) had a mostly mistake-free day but was unable to get the offense going into any rhythm.
On defense, the Jaguars put together what was likely their most disappointing effort all season. In short, it was a 60-minute display of lethargy and diminished confidence. Whether it was missed tackles or blown assignments, the defense had no answer for a Cowboys team that looked to be firing on all cylinders.
Overall, this was a difficult game to watch. What was expected to be a hard-fought game by the Jaguars turned out to be a monumental blowout. I don’t know where the team goes from here, but I do know that each player needs to examine his performance and work to do better for the fans and his teammates.
Stick with me as I grade each positional group based on the performances in Week 10.
Quarterback
1 of 11
The curious case of Blake Bortles gets more complicated every day. After a pretty steady, mistake-free game, he managed to toss his weekly interception in the fourth quarter.
I don’t understand it, but I don’t see much development from Bortles lately. On Sunday, he consistently threw off target on fairly easy completions. I know that the offensive line isn’t helping things much, but I’m starting to lose faith that Bortles can be the guy who can win a game with his arm.
Until I see something truly positive out of Bortles, I’m going to have to temper my expectations for his future with this franchise.
Grade: D-
Running Back
2 of 11
Despite not receiving the amount of carries he’s seen the past few weeks, Jaguars running back Denard Robinson was still impressive in this matchup.
He finished with just 60 rush yards, but he also contributed two touchdowns. His first touchdown was a 32-yard romp through the middle of the Cowboys defense.
Robinson continues to prove he’s a legitimate featured running back. While he didn’t "break out" in Week 10, there’s something to be said for his sustained consistency over the last three games.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver
3 of 11
Besides the running back position, the wide receiver group was the only other slightly bright spot in this humiliating loss.
No player is showing more promise on this team than wide receiver Allen Robinson. In my opinion, he is the most complete rookie wide receiver in the league this year with his combination of speed, strength and reliable hands. Robinson has exceptional awareness when it comes to moving the chains and continues to impress me with his ability to win contested catches.
Another player who stepped up was Cecil Shorts. He finished with a team-leading 119 yards on five receptions. Shorts was consistently picking up yards after the catch and looked like the lone legitimate superstar on this offense.
Grade: B-
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Tight End
4 of 11
Clay Harbor is a young tight end whom I really had high hopes for. Despite a quick start to the season, he’s displayed an extreme level of regression over the past few weeks.
Harbor is a viable receiving tight end and finished the game with three receptions for 28 yards. However, he’s a liability as a blocker, as he displayed Sunday with a few missed blocks and a costly holding penalty early in the second quarter.
The Jaguars need to address the tight end position this offseason.
Grade: F
Offensive Line
5 of 11
What a huge step back for this young offensive line. Play after play, this unit was exposed by a very mediocre Dallas defensive front.
Right guard Jacques McClendon got the start in place of Brandon Linder and looked like a player who had never played a down in his life. On one play, McClendon didn’t even get a hand on Henry Melton, who ended up getting a sack on Bortles.
Every week I hope and pray for some improvement from this unit, but every week I’m disappointed. Two things are for sure—the Jaguars need a serious upgrade at the right tackle position, and they need some quick development from their young starters.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
6 of 11
If I’m being forward, this was the worst performance by the Jaguars defensive line that I’ve seen all season. Period.
For a unit that has been built to get pressure on the quarterback, there is no excuse to only hitting Tony Romo three times and only registering one sack. While I understand that the Cowboys offensive line is very talented, the Jaguars have savvy playmakers who need to at least win their matchups 25 percent of the time.
I don’t know if they’re exhausted from an already long season, but they need to figure it out before they take the field again in Week 12.
Grade: D
Linebacker
7 of 11
I’m just going to throw this stat out there: 30 carries, 150 yards and one touchdown. That’s what the Cowboys did on the ground, and they have the Jaguars linebackers to thank for that.
The matchup against the Cowboys was another case of missed tackles, failed gap discipline and over-pursuit.
A great example was on a draw play to DeMarco Murray. He got the ball with three defenders in his face and looked destined for a five-yard loss. Unfortunately, missed tackles and the lack of containment on the outside allowed him to rip off a 10-yard gain.
This is becoming standard for this young unit. Eventually, something has to click for this group.
Grade: F
Secondary
8 of 11
The Jaguars secondary did its best Jekyll and Hyde impersonation in this matchup. In one moment Dwayne Gratz and Demetrius McCray were making incredible stops, but in another they were being absolutely manhandled by Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant.
Considering how the rest of the team performed, I’m going to take this as a win for the secondary. Gratz and McCray may have been dominated by Bryant all game, but there were times they showed that they both have solid potential.
This season is all about progression. I don’t expect the team to make the playoffs or even win any more games. All I care about is that the young players are getting better every week. With this group I see that, and that’s why I believe the defensive backs had a good game.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
9 of 11
What can I say? It seems like every time the Jaguars play, they manage to commit some type of boneheaded miscue that costs them down the road.
This time it was Ace Sanders, who fumbled a punt return that resulted in a Cowboys touchdown. What made this even worse was that the Jaguars were leading at the time, 7-3, and would have had an opportunity to seize the momentum.
Grade: D-
Coaching
10 of 11
I wish I could honestly say that I even understood what Gus Bradley was hoping to accomplish in this matchup. The truth is that the Jaguars looked unprepared in every facet of the game.
I don’t want to blame this on Bradley, but as the leader of this team he’s the guy who will catch the flak. All I’m looking for from this unit is 60 minutes of solid effort, and it’s Bradley’s job to harvest that.
The Jaguars aren’t going to win many more games, so it will be interesting to see how Bradley gets his guys engaged. It’s starting to look like the cloud of losing is starting to cast itself on the spirits of this club.
Grade: D-
Cumulative Grade
11 of 11
| Quarterback | D- |
| Running Back | B- |
| Wide Receiver | B- |
| Tight End | F |
| Offensive Line | F |
| Defensive Line | D |
| Linebacker | F |
| Secondary | C- |
| Special Teams | D- |
| Coaching | D- |
Overall, it was a disastrous effort by the Jaguars, who continue to show massive regression. In this matchup, the team was clearly outclassed, and it appeared the team knew it early on. Without any confidence or energy, this is as bad of a bunch of players as I’ve ever seen in the NFL. Something has to change sooner rather than later.
Grade: F
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