Sports columnist Ryan O’Halloran reviews Jaguars’ 3rd-down improvement
The Jaguars’ 42 rushing attempts in Sunday’s overitme win at Las Vegas was their most this season and helped slow down Las Vegas’ pass rush.
The Jacksonville Jaguars overcame a poor first half to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 30-29 in overtime.Coach Liam Coen said the second-half performance, which featured zero offensive penalties, was his vision for the offense.The Jaguars have won four of their first five games, all of which have been one-score victories.
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense had a horrendous first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 2, with five penalties (four of them pre-snap), a Trevor Lawrence interception from the 2-yard line that ruined a 19-play drive and zero points until Cam Little’s NFL record 68-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Despite the team winning four of its first five games, it was a scenario that was getting tiresome, especially with the number of yellow flags, which has led the NFL for most of the season.
The second half was a remarkable turnaround as the Jaguars went on to win in overtime 30-29 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Jaguars scored on all five possessions in the half and overtime, there wasn’t a single offensive penalty, they converted first downs or scored touchdowns on seven of 11 third- and fourth-down plays (63.6 percent), had a time of possession margin of 9:24 and a nice balance of run and pass, with 115 yards on the ground (3.9 per carry average) and 120 yards passing.
Lawrence completed 11 of 15 for a passer rating of 96.53, after he had a 54.71 rating in the first half.
Is this coach Liam Coen’s vision for his offense?
“I would say so,” Coen said on Nov. 3 during a teleconference with the Jaguars media. “I thought multiple guys stepped up. We were able to kind of possess the line of scrimmage in some ways. Leaning on the run in overtime, I thought was obviously big and that’s definitely a recipe of success for us. So, I was definitely proud of the guys up front, the runners.”
Coen said if he had any misgivings, it was the Jaguars not turning some decent gains in the running game into more explosive runs.
“We didn’t really break any big ones, and there’s definitely some meat left on the bone,” he said. “And those runs that were about three-and-a-half, four-yard, five-yard, six-yard runs … we need to kind of clean up a few things so we can make those eight-to-10-yard runs … still, but really proud of the way that they competed in the run game and fought their tails off.”
Liam Coen on plays made by Tim Jones, Austin Trammell
“Those guys stepped up in a major way … was really proud of their ability to step up and remain the course, and for Tim, especially, just getting here … he made a huge play for us, so blocked their tails off out on the perimeter as well. So it was really huge for those guys to step up in a major way.”
Liam Coen on the Jags’ kickoff coverage
“We’ve got to do a much better job getting off blocks. And that’s the reality of it. You know, the kickoff game is not a ton of scheming. You can only do so many things on kickoff. You’ve got to whip blocks, and we have done that; we have shown multiple instances and games of doing that at a high level. Credit Vegas for obviously sticking on their blocks, and [Vegas returner Raheem Mostert] is dangerous, and he’s been a dangerous player for a long time. So we didn’t do a great job getting off blocks and keeping contain a few times. And so we definitely need to improve in that area, coming up against one of the best special teams units in the NFL in Houston.”
“We probably went into the game wanting to play a little bit more match man to try to get on them and help our pass rush. But then, obviously losing Travis [Hunter] and then [Jourdan Lewis] may have put our guys in some tough spots in some of the man coverage, and maybe not what we’re best at. Buster’s [Brown] got great vision and some anticipation. So just need to continue to find positive ways of putting these guys in a position to be successful down in and down out.”
Liam Coen on the Jaguars Travis Etienne in a ‘Wildcat’ formation
“We’ve been repping it now for, I would say, at least three weeks or so, a lot more on the bye [week] It was something that [pass game coordinator] Shane Waldron actually had used a good amount of in Seattle. I used it a little bit at Kentucky with [running back] Ray Davis a couple of years ago. It’s getting the ball directly in [Travis Etienne’s] hands and let him go. That was the thought process … to make sure we got off more run attempts.”
Liam Coen on the Jaguars’ one-score victories
“You look around the league every week and you see crazy plays that that kind of dictate outcomes and wild finishes. And there’s part of luck. I mean, luck is a part of this game, and ultimately, the guys just keep sticking with it and finding a way to stay in it and battle. We’re 4-1 in one-score games, and they’re obviously some of them are weird and wild and different and can be frustrating, but to come out with a win … I think Cam Little said it really well last night in his presser … nobody cares at the end of the year. You look at your record and a win’s a win.”