Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 10 Stock Report
After suffering another painful loss at the hands of the New York Jets, the Jacksonville Jaguars are now playing to keep season hopes alive. Even with an AFC South division that is falling apart, the Jaguars need to put up results.
The players are showing obvious signs of progress, but it's now time to bring all the parts together to manufacture a win. The Jaguars are only 1.5 games out of the AFC South lead, and the Jets game was arguably the toughest one remaining after the bye week.
With all the roster's budding talent, the biggest concern has been the veterans as of late. The Jaguars need veteran players such as tight end Julius Thomas and defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks to return to the quality of play we've seen in the past.
The pieces for a streak of wins are there, but errors and late-game incompetence has been the major obstacle in the Jaguars utilizing those pieces to win games. The Jaguars can still win six or seven games this season. They are the only thing stopping themselves.
Telvin Smith Provides Another Solid Performance, Gets Stock Rise
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Linebacker Telvin Smith tallied another five solo tackles on Sunday, while also adding two passes defended, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. The forced fumble could've been a momentum swing on Sunday, but the Jaguars failed to recover and had to start deep in their own territory.
Smith has shown lots of promise over the past season and a half, but his past two games have been more than promising, and a high number of tackles have been explosive and versatile.
Over the past two games, Smith has five passes defended, the forced fumble, a pick-six and three tackles for loss. Tackles come first for LBs, but accruing these types of plays and numbers are impressive.
The interception and five passes defended are signs of progress in coverage, although he is somewhat responsible for Jets TE Jeff Cumberland's 44-yard reception that set up the Jets nicely late in the game.
Going forward, it'll be important to the Jaguars defense that Smith continues to elevate his play, and judging by his improvement this season, it should be a treat to watch.
Julius Thomas Fails to Impact, Stock Continues to Drop
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I wrote last week that the Jets game would be a prime opportunity for Thomas to start heading back in the right direction. With wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns being covered by Jets corners Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, Thomas should've been able to cause trouble for the Jets.
Instead, Thomas totaled three receptions for 14 yards. It was the second-best performance by a Jaguars TE (thanks to TE Marcedes Lewis' 27-yard grab) and the team's sixth-best receiving performance overall.
To put that into perspective, Thomas was tied for second in targets, with eight on the day. It'd be one thing if quarterback Blake Bortles was looking elsewhere more often, but Thomas gets plenty of targets and didn't do anything with them.
Add Sunday's performance with the one-reception, four-yard game against the Buffalo Bills and Thomas' performances over the past couple of games have been way below par. The Jaguars thought Thomas was ready to tear apart defenses after his six catches, 78 yards and touchdown against the Houston Texans, but it simply doesn't happen.
The Jaguars are trying to get him involved, but he doesn't seem to be up-to-speed or on the same page with Bortles. Whatever the issue, it needs to be resolved if the Jaguars want to retain Thomas' explosive game.
Bryan Walters Quietly Improves, Stock Continues to Rise
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WR Bryan Walters was one of the smaller free-agent signings of this past offseason, but it seemed like he would be a versatile tool who would see some offensive snaps and even more special teams snaps as a returner.
As the season has progressed, however, Walters has exceeded expectations as a wide receiver and has become Bortles' third-favorite option. His small game against Buffalo was the only game of the past four where he's had less than four receptions and 50 yards.
Walters had another productive day on Sunday, and it brought his first touchdown reception with the Jaguars. As the Jaguars drove the field in mere seconds, Walters hauled in a 20-yard pass down the seam for a TD, helping to make it a one-score game.
Walters came into Week 9 with an impressive 14 catches that converted downs, and he added three more. That means that of his five receptions, four either moved the chains or went for six points.
He's reliable and a quality route-runner, and his ability to bully nickel corners and earn separation is understated. He doesn't provide the flash Robinson and Hurns provide, but his importance in this offense is growing.
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Sen'Derrick Marks Slow to Regain Form, Receives a Slight Stock Drop
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Recovering from a bad ACL tear like Marks suffered is never easy. He's a big man. Supporting himself, being fully fit, being ready to go and re-establishing his presence on the field is a large order.
This situation has seemed to be the reason for his slow return to the Jaguars, and that's understandable. He only tallied a tackle and a swatted pass on Sunday, and one has to wonder when, and if, Marks will fully recover from his injury.
Getting back into the swing of things is obviously difficult, but Marks is at full health. He just has to get readjusted and find that groove and explosiveness that he obtained last year.
With the defense only getting to Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick twice, it's apparent that Marks is one of the few figures who can make a massive impact on the line in the season's second half.
The defense played well on Sunday, but Marks and the defensive front lack the explosiveness to force turnovers and cause problems for opposing offenses. It's time for Marks and the rest of the "Hit Squad" to find their momentum.
T.J. Yeldon Struggles, Sees a Decline in Stock
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Running back T.J. Yeldon has slowly come into himself this season, but that met a bit of a bump in a lackluster day on Sunday. His 64 yards rushing on 14 carries was inflated by a 45-yard burst late, and after you take that away, he averaged just 1.5 yards per carry.
A large part of that is also due to the Jets incredible run defense. They did a good job of getting to Bortles too, and their all-around day was hard to deal with.
But it doesn't fully excuse Yeldon's play. He wasn't especially great in pass blocking, often barely getting to an assignment or getting beat and forcing Bortles to either escape the pocket or throw with urgency.
The same goes for his effect in the passing game. His three catches for 37 yards was useful, but considering how efficient that was, he needed to be playing that support role more and doing a better job of getting open.
Rookie RBs are going to have days like this, and that was the case on Sunday. But he's shown throughout the year that he has what it takes, and it should be expected that he'll get back on track starting this weekend.
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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