Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets: Jacksonville Grades, Notes & Quotes
The Jacksonville Jaguars have become a bit of a broken record. They fought admirably throughout the game on Sunday, but a plethora of late mistakes doomed them and dropped them to 2-6 on the season.
The 28-23 loss to the New York Jets was pretty much a perfect picture of how the first half of the season has gone. They showed promise through all four quarters, but when it came time to win, the Jaguars simply did not have the composure to do so.
The Jaguars' inability to finish games has become their downfall, unlike recent seasons where, more often than not, the game would be out of hand before there was even a chance to finish.
While it's much nicer to compete and come close, something has to give. This is the fourth, possibly fifth game the Jaguars have failed to win late this season, and that has severely hindered their confidence going into the final eight games.
It was a valiant performance for the majority of the game, but when it reached the most important moments of the game, the Jaguars reverted back to old ways.
Position Grades
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | C+ |
| WR | B+ |
| TE | C- |
| OL | C- |
| DL | C+ |
| LB | C+ |
| DB | C- |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | C+ |
The Jaguars performed relatively well today but turnovers and other mistakes brought down a lot of these grades. The most notable one is quarterback Blake Bortles, whose three turnovers canceled a massive 381-yard, two-touchdown day.
The rest of the offense was also a mixed bag. The offensive line could not protect Bortles consistently, and they didn't do any favors for running back T.J. Yeldon, who had an okay day, considering the circumstances.
The wide receivers impressed the most. The depth of the Jets secondary was tested, and the WRs took advantage of that. Meanwhile, the tight ends had another small-production day, save for TE Marcedes Lewis' big 27-yard grab late.
The defense did extremely well against the run, and the front seven deserve a lot of credit. They pressured Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick decently well, but their inability to force turnovers stopped them from having a major day.
The secondary was a mixed bag, but the Jets were able to make moves on them relatively consistently. The special teams' day was similar, with kicker Jason Myers making three field goals, but the Jaguars punt coverage and late fumble from punt returner Nick Marshall was one of the killers in this game.
Four Turnovers Sink the Jaguars
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When a team gives up four turnovers, they don't deserve to win. It's as simple as that, and that's what happened with the Jaguars on Sunday. Even with an incredible run defense and an explosive offense, the Jaguars gave up the ball, and that won't translate to wins.
Bortles himself had three turnovers, two of which were most definitely his fault, and the other due to a deflection off WR Allen Robinson. His two turnovers late, paired with a fumble from Marshall, killed the Jaguars' chances, and they received the due result.
This may have been as good as the Jaguars have played all season, especially as a team. The run defense was stout, the offense made plays and the secondary did enough to warrant a win.
But the Jets forced four turnovers and scored 14 points off of them, making the difference in this game. It's not easy to play against this tough Jets defense, but bad mistakes are something the Jaguars can control and didn't.
There were positives to take away, but the Jaguars have to find a way to cut down on turnovers if they want to stay in the race for the AFC South.
Jaguars Run Defense Stands Tall
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The Jaguars have had some pretty impressive performances from their run defense, but this game takes the cake. Jets RB Chris Ivory, who has been one of the better backs in the NFL this year, was held for a meager 26 yards on 23 carries.
That's an average of a 1.1 yards per carry, and the Jaguars can pride themselves in that statistic. It's not often the Jaguars completely disable a limb of an offense, but they did that today.
The front seven consistently plugged holes in between the tackles, and the secondary did a fine job of not allowing big plays from Ivory when the Jets tried running him to the outside.
It almost culminated in a massive turnover late, when linebacker Telvin Smith forced a fumble at midfield, but fellow LB Paul Posluszny could not recover it. It may have not resulted in a touchdown, but it would've been a much easier starting point for the Jaguars' last drive.
The Jaguars did a lot of good things today, and the best performance was from the defense against an established running attack. It didn't result in a win, but they deserve a lot of credit for their work today.
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"The A-Team" Pair Up for a Big Day
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WRs Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns have been two of the brightest youngsters this season, and they continued their epic ways on Sunday against two of the most respected corners in the game.
"The A-Team" totaled 243 yards and a TD between them, with each breaking 120 yards receiving. Jets corners Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie could not stop either, which resulted in a successful day through the air, at least for the most part.
Hurns' TD catch was a major point in the game, and saying Cromartie got beat in coverage would be an understatement. It was a proper roasting, and that resulted in Hurns' sixth consecutive game with a TD catch.
All of this makes the loss that much more brutal, but it does continue to provide hope for the future. If the Jaguars can cut down on their mistakes, Robinson's and Hurns' heroics will be rewarded in due time.
Gus Bradley Talks Turnovers in Post-Game Press Conference
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Head coach Gus Bradley hasn't done much to warrant love from the fans by only securing nine wins through his first two-and-a-half seasons, but today was actually one of the better days for him and the staff.
The play-calling was consistent and successful, and it really came down to the four turnovers, something the staff has to take responsibility for, but not something they can control in-game. Bradley talked about that in his post-game press conference, as seen on Jaguars.com.
In regards to Bortles' fourth-quarter fumble, Bradley said, "We think he was trying to extend the play a little bit, but he held the ball and they made the play." As for Marshall's muffed punt, Bradley said, "Our philosophy is: in the field, we’re using Nick."
You can't fault the Jaguars for sticking with their system, but Marshall's mental error was a major factor late.
Turnovers are something out of control in-game, but Bradley has to emphasize the importance of good decisions and level-headed play going forward. Otherwise, the Jaguars can kiss their AFC South title hopes goodbye.
Bradley Praises Run Defense
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Bradley had a lot to say in his post-game press conference, as streamed on Jaguars.com, and he made sure to come back to the run defense on more than one occasion.
"I thought we did a pretty good job against the run defensively," Bradley said. "Going into the game, that was a big mindset for us...We had great respect for the offensive line and Ivory. If you let him get going, one of the things we saw was when he gets over 100 yards, they have a great chance for success."
The Jaguars went into Sunday with the mindset to force Fitzpatrick to make throws to beat them. The secondary could not come through, and he was able to, but that's a fair risk to take against the Jets.
It was a smart game plan, and Bradley, the staff and the players deserve credit for executing it to a tee. It may have not resulted in a win, but the Jaguars looked competent for 90 percent of the game, and that's a positive.
All stats provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.
Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter @evanreier.
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