Carolina Panthers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville Grades, Notes & Quotes
The Jacksonville Jaguars couldn't bring enough lethality on offense against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, leading to a 20-9 loss. The defense put in a valiant effort, but the offensive mistakes and fluidity ultimately destroyed the Jaguars chances.
The only complaint about the defense would be its inability to get off the field in the second half. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton became a nightmare on third down, and the defense couldn't seem to bring him down or get to his receivers in time.
The offense simply looked stagnant. The Jaguars' running backs were able to pick up some decent yards, and they probably could have called on them more, but it wasn't enough to compensate for a lack of sharpness in the passing game.
As we saw in the preseason, the Jaguars receivers continued to drop easy passes. However, it wasn't just on them, because QB Blake Bortles took a step backward from a promising preseason. He wasn't as accurate or dynamic this afternoon, and it will be crucial for the Jaguars that he puts Sunday behind him.
The Jaguars missed a field goal and an extra point, and Bortles telegraphed a pick-six. That combination of misfortunes assisted the Jaguars in losing a total of 11 points, and they eventually lost to the Panthers by 11. If the Jaguars want to win games this year, they've got to cut back on the mistakes.
Position Grades for Jacksonville
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | D |
| RB | B- |
| WR | C- |
| TE | C |
| OL | C+ |
| DL | B- |
| LB | B- |
| DB | C+ |
| Special Teams | C- |
| Coaching | C- |
The most notable grade is the "D" for Bortles. He overthrew receivers, had trouble making decisions, which led to sacks and his second interception, and just didn't take control of the offense like he needed to.
The running backs did better; the Jaguars averaged 4.6 yards per carry because of them. The tight ends were relatively absent from the passing game, but their blocking helped the RBs, which sums up a relatively average performance.
The offensive line also put in a mediocre performance, but it blocked the run very well. The pass blocking was fine for the most part, but a couple of holding penalties really hurt two drives.
The defense put in a slightly above-average performance as a whole. While the team struggled to get off the field, it made big plays and did a fantastic job at stopping the Panthers' run game.
The missed field goal and missed extra point really hurt. The punting and punt coverage weren't terrible, but they also weren't much of an improvement from last year. It wasn't the kind of performance you're looking for from the special teams.
The coaching gets a slightly below-average grade, mostly due to lack of adaptation on offense. They stopped running the ball when it was going well and didn't really use what was working in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter.
T.J. Yeldon a Bright Spot, Despite Offensive Struggles
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Rookie RB T.J. Yeldon came into the opener with eight carries for 10 yards and a touchdown in the preseason. He only got to play one game, but he was named the starter, and he answered the Jaguars call.
After a somewhat slow start, Yeldon found his game and started using his polished footwork and vision to help drive the Jaguars offense forward. He averaged 4.2 yards a carry, racking up 51 yards on 12 attempts.
He had multiple runs of 10-plus yards and was also a solid option in the passing game, grabbing three receptions for 16 yards. He became the Jaguars' most dynamic offensive player as the game went on, but the Jaguars strayed away to try and get back in the game after the pick-six.
The most important thing about his performance was that it will build confidence. Rookie seasons are built on solid performances, and both him and the Jaguars know that he can handle the workload.
Next week ought to see Yeldon touch the ball even more. If the offensive line can perform about the same, then Yeldon will have enough help to be a consistent threat in the run game.
Paul Posluszny Starts of 2015 with a Stellar Game
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Paul Posluszny proved why the Jaguars stuck with him this year by making a huge impact on the game. He grabbed eight solo tackles, two passes defended and an incredible interception to really keep the Jaguars in the game on Sunday.
He, along with fellow starting LBs Telvin Smith and Dan Skuta, played well for the majority of the game and was a big reason why the Panthers couldn't get going in the run game, and the Jaguars were still in the game later on.
Poz's interception was a fantastic grab in an opportune place. It essentially erased WR Allen Hurns' fumble, and it put the Jaguars in prime position to score, but the offense couldn't capitalize.
Having Posluszny performing at the top of his game and being a major factor in the defense helps on and off the field. He's a leader, and with him playing like one, he will keep the defense motivated and together.
Despite all of Poz's efforts, the offense couldn't make enough happen to win. He needs to keep putting in showings like Sunday, and it will hopefully translate to wins in the coming weeks if the offense can get going.
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Blake Bortles Struggles to Make Decisions
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Bortles started to show some really good signs on the offense, especially in the two-minute drill offense, which secured the only Jaguars touchdown of the game. At the end of the first half, he was 15-of-24, threw for 125 yards and had a touchdown.
But whatever momentum that was building going into half was immediately killed by the pick-six he threw. A telegraphed pass to Yeldon on an out route was easily picked by Josh Norman and taken to the house, which threw off the team's offense for the rest of the game.
Early sputters didn't help, but it seemed like Bortles had found a rhythm and that the Jaguars would be able to run the ball if needed. The pick-six destroyed the composure of that situation, which led to Bortles struggling to make decisions.
He was sacked four times, and at least three of them were his fault. It's not like he held on to the ball for a large amount of time, but when the pocket was collapsing and a decision had to be made, it seemed like he was a second or so late.
It wasn't a good day for Bortles. His 7-of-16, 58 yards and two-interception second half was devastating. He has to find a way to learn and get past a bad opening performance.
Gus Bradley Acknowledges Team Errors Sank the Jaguars
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Head coach Gus Bradley is now 7-26 as the Jaguars head coach. While that is something to consider, this game's loss was attributed more to player error than anything else. Some offensive adjustments could've been made, but drops, the pick-six and other team errors killed the Jaguars' hopes.
"It’s not a good feeling because things under our control – dropped passes, mistakes, critical errors -- kept us from (competing)," Bradley said, as tweeted by Florida Times-Union's Ryan O'Halloran.
It's absolutely true. The Jaguars shot themselves in the foot on more than one occasion, and there was no way the team was going to limp in and pull out a victory against a team like the Carolina Panthers.
As FCN's Mike Kaye tweeted, Bradley also said, "We had opportunities but we just didn't finish." That's also true. The offense's stuttering in Panthers territory eventually saw them walk away with just nine points, instead of a potential 21 or 17.
Game-breaking mistakes are something that have plagued the Jaguars under Bradley's term as head coach, and one has to wonder if there's any connection between his coaching and those mistakes. He's not on the hot seat quite yet, but the Jaguars have to be sharper going forward.
Blake Bortles Wants to Learn from Mistakes
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This slideshow has already looked over Bortles' mistakes, and there's no doubt Bortles is doing the same. A game full of errors provides lots of game tape and learning lessons Bortles will hopefully build on.
Bortles said, "I don’t want to sugarcoat it. It wasn’t good enough, and we have to get better," in his postgame conference on Jaguars.com's stream, while also saying, "It's a good learning opportunity."
No one realizes the weight of his and the offense's struggles. Learning from it is all you can ask of Bortles at this point. It was brutal to watch the offense lose the game, but it has to grow from it.
As mentioned, Bortles had a respectable first half. As the game progressed, he got more comfortable and looked closer to what we saw in the preseason. There were good moments, and he needs to take those in as well as the mistakes.
But, the bottom line is that the game rested on the offense's shoulders, and it couldn't move the ball or get in the end zone to match the defense's performance. That's a hard, but important fact that will drive Bortles in the future.
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