NASHVILLE -- It might appear on the surface that the Jacksonville Jaguars found a different way to lose a game on Sunday after they scored a late touchdown, recovered an onside kick, and had a potential game-winning field goal blocked with three seconds to play.
However, the 16-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans in front of 69,143 at LP Field isn’t any different from every other loss this season. The Jaguars committed ill-timed and careless penalties, turned the ball over on offense and failed to force any on defense, missed tackles, and failed to make big plays on defense.
The fact it came against a Titans team that had won just one of its first five games and was starting a backup quarterback and rookie left tackle makes it even worse. Especially since the Titans were coming off an emotional home loss in which they blew a 25-point lead. This was one of the few games on the schedule the Jaguars could have -- and should have -- won.
Instead, they’re 0-6 and it’s reasonable to start wondering if 0-16 is legitimately in play.
There are plenty of reasons the franchise has won only four of its last 21 games. General manager David Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley blew up the roster and began a complete rebuild when they arrived after the 2012 season. The Jaguars are essentially an expansion franchise in Year 2: They have 29 first- or second-year players on the roster, including 12 who started against Tennessee on Sunday.
They also have a rookie quarterback who has made just three starts and is learning as he goes. For two of those starts, his top two options at wide receiver also were rookies.
Hamstring injuries have limited their best receiver (Cecil Shorts) to less than three full games, and tight end Marcedes Lewis is out for at least the rest of this month because of an ankle injury.
The defense starts three second-year players in the secondary, and there is limited speed and athleticism at linebacker.
But none of those is a reason why the Jaguars miss so many tackles, or why 32-year-old defensive end Chris Clemons twice lined up offside, or why Shorts fumbled inside the 10-yard line, or why running back Jordan Todman dropped a deep pass. The few veteran players the Jaguars do have aren’t exactly pulling their weight.
Or why Tennessee receiver Justin Hunter and tight end Delanie Walker were running wide open all afternoon, or why players stood around instead of pouncing on a fumble by Titans quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, or why the Jaguars kept a Titans scoring drive alive by committing penalties on back-to-back third downs. Not exactly disciplined play.
Those are the same kind of mistakes the team has made all season and it’s ruining the baby steps the franchise has made. Bortles is progressing, the young receivers are developing, and the defense, while not making big plays, has given up two touchdowns the past two games. That's growth, but it isn’t enough to win games and at some point the Jaguars have to start doing that.
"We’re young and all that and progress counts but in this league it’s just winning and losing," left tackle Luke Joeckel said. "… We’re here to win football games. That’s what this league is about. We need to go out and just do that."
Nobody was expecting the Jaguars to be a .500 team this season or challenge for a wildcard playoff spot. Nor was there any thought that the offense would be explosive and the defense would lead the league in scoring. But fans expected a better product than what they got in 2013, and right now it’s easy to argue that the 2014 product is worse.
"It feels like we’re going in the right direction, but it’s not enough," Bradley said. "It’s not enough."
The Jaguars need to get a victory in the next two weeks because it’s unlikely to happen at Cincinnati or against Dallas in London before the bye week. If they don’t, they’ll be 0-10 heading into the last two weeks of November, which would make 0-16 the only discussion.
