The Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears week six matchup ended with a plethora of issues that Jacksonville need to fix, with issues in every facet of the team. There were a lot of mistakes from the offense and bad errors from the defense. It’s an issue across the entire team, and with the rest of the season still ahead of the Jaguars, these issues need to be addressed before the season completely unravels.
Jaguars And Bears Week Six: What Needs To Be Fixed
Amidst a frustrating season for Jacksonville, there have been many twists and turns through just six weeks. The Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts week five matchup gave Jacksonville some hope after the Jaguars beat the Colts. But, heading into the Jaguars and Bears matchup in London, the Jaguars fell flat. The Bears have been steadily improving throughout the season, while the Jaguars have been regressing.
A few weeks before this loss, the Jaguars entered a downward spiral following a crushing loss against the Buffalo Bills. With the heartbreaking loss to the Texans the next week, the Jaguars were approaching new lows. Their first victory subdued the downward spiral, but with a loss to the Bears, it’s becoming dangerously close to a full-blown collapse.
From the Jaguars and Bears week six matchup, two key areas are imperative to improve if the Jaguars want to find success as we advance further into the 2024 season. These key areas are the receivers’ drop issues and the secondary play of Jacksonville.
How to Fix the Receiving Room
Despite the huge loss to the Bears, the most telling storyline for Jacksonville was the receivers dropping multiple touchdowns. Throughout the game, Brian Thomas Jr., Gabriel Davis, and Christian Kirk all dropped touchdown passes from Trevor Lawrence. Davis dropped two touchdowns, including a deep shot down the field, which has been key for the Jaguars to find success in their offense. A play-action deep-shot passing offense relies on the receivers to make catches down the field, and Lawrence’s receivers let him down massively.
The offense needs the receivers to play well, and with how poorly they played in week six, the Jaguars offense was completely hamstrung to limited success. Going forward, the wide receivers can’t drop those touchdown throws, especially with how inept the Jaguars have been through six weeks. A path to success is fairly clear, and it’s to change who the offense runs through.
Evan Engram, returning for the first time since the Jaguars’ week one loss to the Miami Dolphins, had a huge day through the air. Though he didn’t hurt the team in the receiving game, he fumbled the ball and stifled any momentum the Jaguars had. But, despite the fumble, he was by far their best receiver Sunday. Engram and Thomas need to be the focal points of the offense, with both complimenting each other well and are the safety valve and the downfield threat respectively. 17 to 35
One of the keys to the passing game for the Jaguars is the run game, as the offense utilizes play-action to spread the defense out. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, the run game against the Bears was terrible, with Tank Bigsby being relegated to second fiddle to D’Ernest Johnson following the Travis Etienne Jr. hamstring injury. The offense is dysfunctional, and one of the examples of that dysfunction was the backfield splits following the injury to Etienne. Bigsby has shown the most pop in the run game, yet Johnson was on the field for 35 snaps compared to Bigsby’s 17 snaps. Taking one of the best players off the field is a massive mistake, especially in a matchup where the Jaguars desperately needed a successful ground game against a stout Bears defense.
How To Fix the Jaguars Secondary
It was another week of poor coverage for the Jaguars secondary, as the Jaguars allowed Caleb Williams and the Bears to score four touchdowns through the air. Cole Kmet and Keenan Allen were the two weapons the Jaguars couldn’t stop in London. Kmet has 70 yards on five receptions and two touchdowns, while Allen had 41 yards on five receptions for two touchdowns. Ventrell Miller, Devin Lloyd, and Ronald Darby were the biggest contributors to the Bears’ passing attack success.
Going forward, one of the ways the Jaguars can fix things is to just get healthy. It’s not an immediate solution, but there is no quick fix for how poorly the defense is playing in coverage. The stars just need to play better, as Andre Cisco did with an interception while also only allowing five yards on one catch according to Pro Football Focus. For starters returning, Foyesade Oluokun and Tyson Campbell are badly needed, with their returns the catalyst for how the defense can begin settling in. Oluokun is the Jaguars’ best defended in coverage, and Campbell is a massive improvement over Darby.
Campbell is the more important player returning for Jacksonville, and there is an important decision to be made when he returns. In his absence, Darby and Montaric Brown have filled in the void that he’s left. Brown was on the bench in week one, but the key to helping fix this defense going forward is to keep Brown in as a starter opposite of Campbell and bench Darby. The veteran has been one of the worst corners in the NFL, and Brown has impressed as he’s filled in for Campbell.
While it wouldn’t immediately fix all the woes defensively, the Jaguars keeping Brown in the starting lineup when Campbell comes back is the best path forward for the defense. So far through six weeks according to PFF, Brown has a 69.2 coverage grade and Darby has a 56.1. Darby is allowing 13.7 yards per reception, and Brown is allowing 9.6. While Brown hasn’t been an incredible defender, there is enough of a difference between the two that he should be factored in when Campbell returns.
Can The Jaguars Fix Their Issues?
Despite all the doom and gloom, the Jaguars have a path forward. There is enough offensively to be a competent offense, and the defense has been banged up but shown flashes of potential. The Jaguars have continually shot themselves in the foot, either through back-breaking drops in the end zone or poorly timed penalties to extend drives on defense. If the Jaguars can stop these self-inflicted wounds, and begin fixing some of the issues offensively and defensively, the Jaguars can begin piecing together a decent second half of the season.
Fixing these issues, the Jaguars could turn their season around. However, with the offense sputtering and the defense getting gashed through the air, the Jaguars are in desperation mode to find any sustained success. A loss to the New England Patriots could not only end their vain playoff hopes, but it could also spell the end of the Doug Pederson era in Jacksonville. There were calls for his firing after the week three disaster against the Bills, but a second London loss in a row against the Patriots and their rookie quarterback in his second career start could be the final nail in the coffin.
For an offense with as much talent as the Jaguars have, and a defense with a solid group of players at every level, it’s hard to imagine how the issues aren’t in part coaching-related. The team has come in undisciplined multiple times in 2024 and is on the verge of going one and six. If the issues on offense and defense aren’t fixed, it’s probably time for the Jaguars to sell at the trade deadline and begin preparing for 2025 and beyond. With how poorly they have played through six weeks, the Jaguars have been the most disappointing team in 2024.
Going forward, a lot will need to change, and it all starts with Shad Khan addressing the team’s issues. There are plenty of good head coaching candidates, and with a good quarterback and young talent in a few key positions, the Jaguars have the pieces to be a good team. It’s going to be a long season, and Jacksonville might be making some sweeping changes shortly if Pederson and the Jaguars don’t begin course-correcting soon.
Main Image: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
