JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A few thoughts on the Jacksonville Jaguars' 20-12 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Field.
What it means: The Jaguars have to find a way to be more productive on offense. Actually, a better way to phrase it would be for the Jaguars to find a way do to something on offense. They've played four games since their bye week and the offense has scored just two touchdowns. The Jaguars made only one trip to the red zone on Sunday and had a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. The next three plays: Storm Johnson tackled for a 1-yard loss, Blake Bortles sacked for an 11-yard loss, and Bortles sacked for an 8-yard loss. The Jaguars never got closer to the end zone than the Baltimore 24 after that, and settled for four Josh Scobee field goals.
Stock watch: Running back Toby Gerhart got the start with Denard Robinson out for the rest of the season with a foot sprain, and looked a lot like the player the Jaguars thought they were getting in March. Nothing fancy, but he averaged 4.2 yards per carry and ran the ball hard (54 yards on 13 carries). Gerhart has gotten progressively better as he has gotten healthier and recovers from the foot injury he suffered in the season opener. Gerhart ran for 57 yards on 14 carries (4.1 per carry) and caught five passes for 35 yards in the three games before Sunday's game against the Ravens. He averaged just 2.6 yards per carry in his first eight games.
Special teams breakdown: The Jaguars successfully executed a fake punt and a surprise onside kick, but they were wiped out by allowing a blocked punt for a touchdown. Fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou, who carried the ball on the fake punt, got confused in punt protection and allowed Darian Stewart a free run at punter Bryan Anger. Kamar Aiken recovered the ball and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown. Even when the Jaguars did do something good on special teams, they couldn't take advantage of it. Scobee missed a 42-yard field goal after the Jaguars recovered the onside kick, and the Jaguars were forced to punt four plays after the fake punt because Cecil Shorts III dropped a pass that would have been good for a first down.
Game ball: The run defense shut down the Ravens' ground game, holding running back Justin Forsett to 48 yards on 16 carries. Forsett entered the game as the AFC's second-leading rusher (1,080 yards) and averaging 83 yards per game, but the Jaguars' defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage all afternoon. Forsett's longest run was just 6 yards, and the Ravens, who didn't record a first down rushing until the fourth quarter, ran for 93 yards total. That's the lowest total allowed since they held Cleveland to 69 yards in a Week 7 victory.
What's next: The Jaguars play host to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night at 8:30 ET at EverBank Field.
