Jaguars Vs Jets Review
The Jaguars defeated the Jets in a 48-20 rout. Trevor Lawrence had a career day, throwing for 5 touchdowns and rushing for a 6th. The win keeps the Jaguars atop the AFC South with a 10-4 record.
Trevor Lawrence and the offense would receive the ball first and do something they have struggled to do all season: score a touchdown on the opening drive. The 9-play, 72-yard drive was capped off by a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. for his second score of the season.
The Jets would get the ball next and quickly get shut down, failing to convert on fourth down, which gave the Jaguars offense the ball at the Jets 38-yard line. In just 5 plays, the Jaguars would score again, with Trevor Lawrence scrambling for a 15-yard touchdown to go up 14-0.
This time, the Jets would respond, going 65 yards in 8 plays for a touchdown. The defense gave little resistance, and, for a moment, it looked like the Jaguars could let another bad team hang around. Bhayshul Tuten returned the ensuing kickoff out to the 45-yard line, and the offense quickly capitalized, going 55 yards in just 5 plays for a Bhayshul Tuten touchdown catch to take a 21-7 lead. On the first three touchdown drives, the Jaguars had only faced one third down.
Shortly after, both teams would exchange punts before they each settled for field goals, giving the Jaguars a 24-10 lead. With 1:33 left in the first half, the Jets had a chance to cut into the lead before getting the ball to come out of the second half. Montaric Brown had other ideas, intercepting quarterback Brady Cook on the second play of the drive, giving the Jaguars great field position at the Jets 47-yard line. In just 46 seconds, they would score again, with Trevor Lawrence throwing his third touchdown pass of the half to Travis Etienne to go ahead 31-10 at halftime.
Coming out of the half, the Jets would put together a 9-play drive before settling for a field goal to cut the lead to 31-13. The Jaguars would quickly respond, going 72 yards in under 4 minutes for another touchdown, with Trevor Lawrence once again connecting with Travis Etienne for his fourth touchdown pass and fifth total of the game.
After a Jets turnover on downs, the Jaguars would kick a field goal to take a 41-13 lead. The Jets would respond with a 65-yard touchdown drive in just 2:35 to cut the lead to 41-20. A 50-yard kickoff return would set up the Jaguars at the Jets 45, and they would score immediately, with Travis Etienne taking a screen pass the distance on the second play of the drive to go ahead 48-20. The Jaguars offensive starters were pulled, and both teams would exchange punts and turnovers before Nick Mullens would kneel out the game, giving the Jaguars a dominant 48-20 victory and improving to 10-4, the franchise's highest win total since 2017.
The good
This was the Jaguars most dominant win in years, and the most points they've scored since 2022. Trevor Lawrence was, of course, the biggest reason for this, throwing for 5 touchdowns and rushing for a 6th. The 5th-year quarterback is heating up at the right time and the offense has looked better than ever. Liam Coen has not only helped to improve Trevor Lawrence but has also completely changed the offense as a whole. Against the Jets, the Jaguars completed 8 passes 15 or more yards down the field, a total shift in the style of play from years past.
Brian Thomas and Jakobi Meyers are playing their best ball of the season. BTJ caught 4 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown and has begun to look more like his 2024 self in recent weeks. Jakobi Meyers caught 5 passes for 71 yards, continuing to provide a threat over the middle of the field, and has quickly become Lawrence's most reliable receiver.
While Travis Etienne did not have a great game running the ball, rushing for just 32 yards on 12 carries, he more than made up for it in the passing game, catching 3 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, leading the team in receiving yards for the game.
Sacks and penalties have been a recurring problem for the Jaguars and have held them back from their full potential all season. In this game, however, they played a clean game, allowing zero sacks and committing just 5 penalties.
The defense played exceptionally, allowing just 20 points, forcing multiple turnovers on downs while sacking and intercepting Brady Cook three times. This marks the fifth time the defense has forced three or more turnovers, and the sixth time they have held an opponent to 20 points or less.
The bad
There were very few struggles in the Jaguars victory, but the running game was one of them. Travis Etienne rushed for just 32 yards on 12 carries, his second lowest of the season. Against a poor run defense, rushing for under 3 yards per carry, as well as being outrushed by your quarterback, is a bit concerning, especially given the decline in the running game over the last two months. Etienne has rushed for over 4 yards per carry just once since week 9, which has led to Trevor Lawrence passing the ball considerably more.
Conclusion
This was arguably the most dominant win of the season, and it came at the perfect time. With the playoffs around the corner, the Jaguars need every win, and they needed to show what they were capable of. With Trevor Lawrence playing the best game of his career and the Jaguars scoring nearly 50 points, it's safe to say they showed their full potential.
The biggest test of the season will come next week against the red-hot Denver Broncos on the road. This game will likely decide the AFC South winner and will truly show if the Jaguars are ready to play with the top dogs.