The Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles week nine matchup helped identify what the Jaguars’ offense and defense should look like for the rest of the 2024 NFL season. With Jacksonville losing a close game to the Eagles, they were able to identify which players should be featured for the rest of the season. At two and seven, the Jaguars are nearly on the verge of elimination, and with the NFL trade deadline here, the Jaguars should look over their roster and around the league for any other moves. To get any positive outcomes from the 2024 season, Jacksonville needs to determine which players can be trusted for the second half of the year and into 2025.
What Can Be Learned From Jaguars Week 9 Loss
Every phase for the Jaguars had insight shed on their outlooks from now on. The offense had a few players come into their roles, and others didn’t meet expectations. Defensively, the Jaguars had some overarching issues that continue to plague them, but individual players stood out with solid performances. On special teams, there is a glaring issue that needs to be addressed, and it was changed during the game, showcasing a willingness to fix a mistake from the coaching staff. Overall, each phase of the game for Jacksonville showcased what works, what needs to be fixed, and who should be utilized more for the rest of the season.
What was Learned From the Offense’s Performance
The Jaguars offense came into the Jaguars vs Eagles week nine matchup as underdogs, facing an uphill battle thanks largely to the injuries and trades affecting the offense. Cam Robinson, the starting left tackle, was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Brian Thomas, Gabriel Davis, and Christian Kirk were all injured coming off the Jaguars vs Packers week eight matchup. Each player had a different outcome from their injury, with Thomas playing against the Eagles, Davis being ruled out in the short term, and Kirk being out for the rest of the season. Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby also came into this matchup injured, but both ended up playing for Jacksonville.
With the injuries and changes to the offense, there was some intrigue about who would step up. Parker Washington saw a few targets in the loss, but he presented a nice alternative target for Trevor Lawrence with Kirk done for the years. Evan Engram and Thomas will remain the two leading receivers, but Washington should see similar usage as Davis will down the stretch. His run-after-the-catch ability and speed present a great opportunity for him to contribute to the Jaguars’ offense in the second half of the 2024 season.
The running back room is another huge part of the Jaguars’ identity that’s been changing throughout the year. Etienne was expected to be the main guy in the backfield, but between his injury and inconsistent play, and the emergence of Bigsby as a great runner, the backfield has all of a sudden become much more cloudy. It would be a good problem to have if they were utilized correctly, but the Jaguars coaching staff isn’t putting their running backs to use effectively. Bigsby is a bigger back who benefits from consistent rushing attempts. Etienne is a dynamic runner and receiver and should be used as a spell for Bigsby. A great example is what the Detroit Lions are doing with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Both backs are used effectively for their roles and can be major contributors in each game regardless of the score.
Finally, the offensive line is struggling a lot thanks in part to the injuries and trades being made. Robinson is no longer a Jaguar, and Walker Little is filling in behind him. He struggled against the Eagles, but he showed flashes in 2023, so hopefully with more playing time he settles into his role so the Jaguars can get a look at him before free agency. Anton Harrison got banged up in this game and forced Cole Van Lanen to come in behind him. While Harrison’s injury doesn’t seem long-term, Van Lanen got injured himself, and unfortunately, his injury seems closer to season-ending than not as he was carted off the field. Luke Fortner also filled in for a portion of the game for an injured Mitch Morse, all the while Ezra Cleveland missed the game due to an injury. The offensive line is depleted, and Jacksonville will need to make a move or two to not only replenish the reserves but potentially bring in a starter as well with all the injuries suffered along the offensive line.
What Can Be Learned From the Defense
Unfortunately, the defense has a lot of issues, and while they managed to successfully stop the tush push of the Eagles, they still surrendered multiple touchdowns to the Eagles’ offense. Jalen Hurts had a great throw to Saquon Barkley, who made a great catch, which is not a play that can be expected to be made often from any quarterback and running back duo. The issues stem from the way the Jaguars let Hurts go down the field on multiple occasions for big plays. Jahan Dotson had a circus catch down the left sideline, and Devonta Smith had a huge reception down the field on a deep crosser, right before he had another incredible catch at the back on the endzone that’s just difficult to defend better.
For Jacksonville, the defense wasn’t completely terrible despite allowing a few incredible plays, but the biggest issue going forward was how poor the run defense was. Up through week eight, the Jaguars’ run defense had been one of the best parts of the defense. While the pass defense was one of the worst in the league, they could stop the run. Against the Eagles, in part, because Barkley and Hurts are a very tough duo to stop, and the Eagles’ dominant run-blocking defensive line, the Jaguars were gashed on the ground all game long.
The Jaguars allowed 237 yards rushing on 46 carries, good for 5.2 yards per carry. They also allowed two rushing touchdowns, one to Hurts and another to Barkley. But, the largest issue was the Barkley rushing touchdown, as it came on third and 16 in the red zone, and it gave the Jaguars a chance to get a stop on the Eagles vaunted offense. But, the Jaguars’ defense over-committed to one side of the field and allowed Barkley to find the angle around the edge and score a touchdown. Arik Armstead showed his age, as there were multiple plays where he couldn’t keep up with Hurts or Barkley, and the rest of the defense struggled to contain Barkley overall.
This game nearly began to enter a downward spiral like the Buffalo Bills game, but fortunately, the Jaguars managed to score a touchdown and two-point conversion in the third quarter. On the very next drive, the Jaguars got a lucky break thanks to a Barkley fumble, which was the subject of a major debate over the legitimacy of whether it should be a fumble or not. Travon Walker scooped the ball off the ground, bounced off multiple Eagles players, and scored a touchdown which stood after review. Whether it should’ve been a fumble or not, Walker made an incredible play to score on the return and deserves his flowers for bringing the Jaguars right back into things after a first half which couldn’t have gone a whole lot worse.
Overall, the defense had its fair share of struggles, but it also had a couple of moments where the future looked bright. Walker and Josh Hines-Allen are the core of the defense, and with some younger players beginning to emerge thanks to injuries, the defense could look a lot different in 2025 and potentially down the stretch of the 2024 season.
Overall Lessons Learned and Special Teams
There is only one major issue from the Jaguars special teams, and it came with Austin Trammell, the backup returner, who fumbled his first return setting the Eagles up in instant redzone territory. He was pushed into that role thanks to the wide receiver injuries, and Doug Pederson deciding to keep Washington off the return game to allow him to focus on his receiver role. That plan backfired immediately, and later in the game, Pederson switched it back to Washington returning punts. Outside of that one issue, the Jaguars special teams have been solid all year, and not much should be changed for the rest of the season and into 2025.
The same can’t be said for either the offense or defense. A tough loss to the Eagles presented too many issues that needed to be addressed offensively and defensively. From the receivers and running backs struggling to get anything going all day, to the defensive backfield being one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL, there is a lot that needs to be changed for 2025, if not for the rest of 2024.
These changes can be made by moving some of the Jaguars trade deadline candidates, or by moving other players into reserve roles to allow younger players to make a bigger impact on gameday. Veteran players won’t help the Jaguars figure things out for the future, so seeing some of the younger players get NFL action against real teams and NFL-caliber players can be huge for figuring out the offseason plans. As they sit at two and seven, the offseason should become more of a pressing issue for Jacksonville.
Unfortunately, with Pederson and Trent Baalke fighting for their jobs, the Jaguars might not be able to make the right decision and move forward with making the necessary changes. Down the stretch of the 2024 season, the Jaguars need to be able to prep for 2025 and beyond, regardless of whether the coaching staff and front office return. Weathering this storm doesn’t seem likely for Pederson and company, but they can do one last solid by the Jaguars fans and team by setting them up for success in the future, just like Pederson did in Philadelphia in 2020. The priority should be seeing the young players on the field, building chemistry with Lawrence and his receivers that will be back in 2025, and figuring out what the roster will look like in 2025 and beyond.
Main Image: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
