3 takeaways from Jaguars Vs Cardinals
The Jaguars improved to 7-4 on the season with a 27-24 overtime win over the Cardinals. It was an ugly game that saw Trevor Lawrence commit four turnovers but still found a way to pull out a close win.
The offense cna be dangerous
Despite having four drive ending turnovers, the Jaguars still scored 27 points and had 371 total yards. Travis Etienne had nearly 6 yards per attempt on the ground, and the Jaguars pass catches all made an impact. Travis Hunter won't return this season, but it is clear that this offense has the players to succeed without him, and that his addition in the future will only make them better.
Brian Thomas Jr. will return at some point this season. If he is able to get close to his 2024 self, this offense will be a well balanced machine. If Thomas Jr. continues to struggle, the offense now has Brenton Strange to fall back on. After being placed on injured reserve in week 5, Strange made his return in week 11 and did not dissapoint, catching 5 passes for 93 yards. When fully healthy, this offense has the talent do compete with anyone.
Trevor Lawrence is what he is; a rollercoaster
Fans and media alike have been waiting for Trevor Lawrence to have the weapons and coaching around him and he will figure it out. While there has been improvement in Trevor's footwork and mechanis, his tendency to hold onto the ball or make poor decisions down the field is still their, and it is simply who he is.
What only fuels this inconcistency is the flashes of greatness he displays. After committing a turnover, the offense scored 17 points on 3 drives after a turnover. The great throws mixed with inaccuracy and poor reads are going to be their, but Trevor has found a win to win at the end of games with four game-winning drives already this season. Trevor Lawrence is going to be a rollercoaster, it now comes down to how his peaks and valleys of play get in the last 6 games of the season.
Pressure is important
The Jaguars pass rush has been less than stellar all season, ranking in the bottom of sacks nearly every week. Against an immobile Jacoby Brissett, Anthony Campanile dialed up the pressure, blitzing Brissett on 16 of his 55 dropbacks, and had a pressure rate of 32.8% for the game. which led to 6 sacks. The Jaguars also recorded 8 qb hits and 5 qb hurries, forcing Brissett out of his comfort zone all game.
With this consistent amount of pressure, it resulted in just 17 points. The Cardinals may have racked up a lot of yardage on some big plays, but failed to score when it mattered most. Given how beat up the Jaguars current secondary is, some chances had to be taken, and it worked.