Déjà vu in Jacksonville as Jaguars fall 27-25 to Cleveland Browns

The Jaguars have now lost 10 games in a row, the longest losing streak in team history. And the team has also fired its long-time general manager in Dave Caldwell.

Jacksonville ultimately exited the week with a loss as they fall 27-25 to the Cleveland browns. Though they looked competent enough to win, it simply wasn’t good enough, again.

“I’ve said this from the beginning, I really am proud of the team,” Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said following the game on Sunday. “I’m not happy with the record and I’m frustrated with the record. Obviously, we all are so I don’t want to go down that road, but as far as guys that are really trying and working hard and doing everything they possibly can.”

Coming into the week, the Jaguars were under extremely difficult circumstances. After benching its sixth-round rookie quarterback in Jake Luton, who started the team’s past three games for an injured Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville was forced to turn to seven-year veteran quarterback Mike Glennon.

On the defensive side of the football, the Jaguars were down both starting cornerbacks in rookie CJ Henderson and veteran Sidney Jones IV. Two rookies were forced to play significant snaps in their place, Luq Barcoo and Josiah Scott.

The team’s coaching staff was forced to change this week, too. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Jaguars were without defensive coordinator Todd Wash, defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich and assistant linebackers coach Tony Gilbert. Wash was replaced by safeties coach Joe Danna, who took over as the team’s defensive play-caller.

Overall, the Jaguars showed a lot more out of the quarterback position under Glennon’s direction, with the veteran quarterback converting on 20 out of 35 of his passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jaguars were able to take the lead just twice during the contest: once during the second quarter when Glennon found rookie receiver Collin Johnson deep for a 46-yard touchdown, and again during the third quarter when Glennon found veteran tight end Tyler Eifert for a two-yard touchdown.

The team’s 19-17 lead in the third quarter would come off of a forced fumble by Jaguars linebacker Joe Schobert on Cleveland tight end Harrison Bryant, who also dropped a touchdown for the Browns during the day. It would be the team’s only turnover of the day.

On defense, the Jaguars were slashed on the ground all day, allowing both Browns running backs, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, to control the clock for Cleveland throughout the contest. Chubb would run 19 times for 144 yards, Hunt would have 62 yards on 10 carries of his own.

Much like the team’s Week 8 loss against the Houston Texans, the Jaguars opted to chase points that didn’t need chasing. Instead of kicking a field goal to go up by three points in the third quarter, the Jaguars decided to go for two. The team would be unsuccessful, however, and put themselves in a situation where they’d have to make a two-point conversion at some point.

Marrone says the aggressive mindset was once again due to what the analytics told him at the time. If the Jaguars were to have converted, it would have forced the Browns to score a touchdown to go up by just three points, rather than kick a field goal to tie the game.

“It’s always been my philosophy that if there’s a penalty on a play and it goes to the 1-[yard line], then I’m always going to go for two unless it’s something where it’s going to become a two score game,” said Marrone when asked about the team’s reasoning for going for two.

“We had a run-pass option for that play and then they stacked the box, and they were bringing pressure on the weak side, so it caused us to throw it and we didn’t execute it.”

Near the end of the contest, the Jaguars would score one last time on the back of rookie running back James Robinson as he powered his way into the end zone from four yards out. The Jaguars, however, failed to convert its two-point conversion, ultimately giving Cleveland the ball back with just 2:14 remaining in the game.

Robinson would have 128 rushing yards on 22 carries to end the game, the best rushing performance of his career.

The Jaguars have lost 10 games in a row, and owner Shad Khan has now netted his 100th regular season loss, just one week after losing his 100th game, period.

The team has maintained the look of a competent squad, however it is clear there’s plenty of room to grow.