3 takeaways from Jaguars Texans

Trench play is the team's biggest weakness

It goes without saying that rushing the passer and protecting your quarterback will help you win a lot of games. Through 9 games, the Jaguars have failed to concistenly do either of these, and it has gotten worse as the season has progressed.

Trevor Lawrence has now been sacked at the highest percentage of his career at 7.6%, and the defensive line is tied for last in sacks with 12. This was a big reason for the Jaguars 4th quarter collapse. Lawrence was sacked 5 times, 2 of them coming on the final drive, and the pass rush did not affect Davis Mills when it mattered most.

Beyond the sack numbers, penalties have also been a big problem for the offensive line. The Jaguars lead the league with 83 penalties, with 25 of them coming from the offensive line. These penalties have often come on big plays as well, taking away momentum and making drives all the more difficult. There was no bigger example of this than the final drive of the game. Trevor Lawrence completed a pass to Parker Washington to put Cam Little in range for a field goal, but got called back due to a penalty from Chuma Edoga.

The run game has also suffered due to poor offensive line play. The Jaguars have not had a 100-yard game from a running back since week 4, and a big reason for this is the lack of space given to the running backs. This puts the offense into predictable passing situations while also being able to drop more defenders into coverage due to the lack of fear from the running game.

The season is on life support

With such a collapse against a 3-5 team with a backup quarterback, it is hard to imagine how many games the Jaguars could win the rest of the season. With games against the Chargers, Broncos, and Colts twice, the Jaguars have found themselves in a hole that now may be to big too climb out of.

A win would have put them at 6-3 and in a good position to fight for a wildcard spot. Now sitting at 5-4 with a tough schedule, the Jaguars may have played themselves out of the race. The Jaguars do have 4 games against the Jets, Titans and Cardinals, 4 games that they should win. As we just saw, however, no game is a guarantee, and it will be a tough climb back into the playoff picture.

The pressure on Trevor Lawrence continues to grow

Trevor Lawrence had yet another lackluster game, completing just 56% of his passes for 158 yards with 1 touchdown and two turnovers. The scrutiny from the fanbase and national media has only gotten louder, and it will continue unless he turns it around.

With such a massive contract on the books, it will be hard to move off of. If Lawrence continues this level of play for the remainder of the season, this leaves the team with one of two options. They will either have to cut him, eating $210 million of dead cap through 2029, or stick with him for another season.

The large cap hit may make the only option appear to be keeping the former 1st overall pick, but Liam Coen and James Gladstone have no previous ties to Lawrence, and may not want to be tied to a player they did not select long-term. With 8 games remaining in the 2025 season, there are so many unanswered questions about Trevor Lawrence, which puts as much pressure on him as any quarterback in the NFL.

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