Jaguars vs Rams Week 7 Review

The Jaguars fall to 4-3 after an embarrassing 35-7 loss. From start to finish it was evident the team was not ready, not as physical, not as talented, and has a ton of work to do during their bye week.

To start the game, the Jaguars would immediately replicate what happened the previous week, falling behind the sticks due to sacks and never being able to catch up. The Rams would begin their opening drive at their own 40 due to a poor punt from Logan Cooke. Matthew Stafford and the offense proceeded to go 60 yards in 13 plays for an easy touchdown to Konata Mumpfield, putting the Rams up 7-0.

Trevor Lawrence and the offense responded with yet another three-and-out, giving them a total of 0 yards through two drives. Once again the defense had no answers, giving up a 6-play, 79-yard drive that ended in a Davante Adams touchdown to quickly fall behind 14-0. Up to this point, the Rams had more touchdowns than the Jaguars had yards or first downs. The offense needed to wake up quickly to get back in the game.

While they managed to get two first downs, the offense was still going nowhere, getting just 20 yards on 10 plays before punting it away. Finally, the defense was able to up, forcing a three-and-out with the Rams pinned back at their own 9-yard line. After putting together a solid drive, the offense had to settle for a field goal. Cam Little, who has been struggling as of late, missed once again, this time from 50 yards, to keep the score at 14-0.

Because of this missed kick, the Rams began the drive at their own 40-yard line. They quickly took advantage of this, going 60 yards in 5 plays with the drive ending in another touchdown from Davante Adams, giving LA a 21-0 lead. Finally, the offense showed some life, putting together a 10-play, 58-yard drive that got all the way to the Rams 11-yard line, but went for it on 4th and 7, which they failed to convert, leaving the score at 21-0 going into halftime.

The start of the second half would lead to a similar trend for the Jaguars offense. The first two drives were going the same way, with a 53-yard and 64-yard drive that went deep into Rams territory, but because the team was in such a hole, they had to go for it on 4th down. Both times they failed to convert, keeping the score at 21-0 despite putting together multiple successful drives.

The defense had stepped up in the second half, forcing 4 straight punts without a single drive being longer than 4 plays, yet the Jaguars were not able to capitalize. After yet another Jaguars punt, the Rams offense finally woke up, driving down the field with little resistance for a touchdown to Terrance Ferguson to go up 28-0.

Now the team was just fighting for a morale boost and to not get shut out. In just 5 plays, the offense drove 80 yards for a 34-yard touchdown to Travis Hunter to put the score at 28-7. Unfortunately, the Rams decided the game was not embarrassing enough yet, scoring with ease once again with a 3rd Davante Adams touchdown to go up 35-7. After a fourth drive resulting in a turnover on downs from the Jaguars offense, the Rams kneeled out the rest of the game, improving to 5-2 with a dominant victory while the Jaguars fall to 4-3 with a gut-punching reality check.

The good

Travis Hunter. That is the only positive takeaway from this game. Hunter finished the game with 8 catches for 101 yards, a touchdown, and a pass deflection. While he was limited defensively, he showed what he is capable of on the offensive side of the ball. With all the struggles Brian Thomas Jr. and the rest of the Jaguars wide receivers have had, it has become clear that Travis Hunter must be the team's most targeted receiver going forward.

The bad

Nearly everything you can think of that happens in a football game, the Jaguars did poorly. On defense, they allowed 5 passing touchdowns, could not stop the run, and could not get off the field. The game was 21-0 in the middle of the second quarter, already giving the feeling that it was over. The coverage was bad, but what was more surprising was the lack of a pass rush. Despite Travon Walker returning, there has been little pressure put on opposing quarterbacks since he has returned.

In the first half, Travis Hunter played 0 defensive snaps and just 14 for the game, which was a big reason why the defense could not stop the Rams. Being in week 7 and still lacking a clear plan for Hunter on defense is extremely alarming and has to be fixed quickly if the pass defense is to return to form.

Offensively, it was equally as disastrous, being held scoreless until the 4th quarter, down 28-0 when the game was already decided. The offensive line and wide receiver miscues were once again a huge problem, recording 7 sacks and 4 drops on the day. Drops being an issue at this point in the season, especially from Brian Thomas Jr., are also deeply concerning. The lack of aggression and confidence when the ball comes their way has been a rollercoaster all season but only appears to be getting worse.

While they did go against two of the elite front fours in the NFL, the offensive line has quickly been exposed, revealing that it is not a strength of the team and is merely an average unit. Combine this with no threatening run game, and it makes it nearly impossible for the offense to succeed.

Key stats

Conclusion

This game was a massive dissapointment for many of reasons, but the biggest being how non-competitive it was. Despite the Rams being without their best player, it was clear from the start that the Jaguars were overmatched, something we have not seen that from this team up to this point.

Week 8 will present a much-needed bye week for the team. Players will get more healthy, and this will present a chance to fix some of the problems from their most recent loss as well as ones that have plagued them throughout the season. In week 9, they will head to the west coast to face a struggling Raiders team. Coming out of a bye week and a 2 game losing streak, this game will tell us a lot about just how serious this team really is.

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