Jaguars vs Texans Recap: 5 Things

The Jaguars fell hard to the Texans on Sunday. Here's five things to remember from this one moving forward.

By Jordan de Lugo

PRESENTED BY

1. Blake Bortles is holding the offense, team back

Blake Bortles has now started 38 NFL games. Since becoming the starter Bortles has lead his team to a 10-28 record. Obviously the record can not be blamed solely on the QB. But what Blake Bortles should be held accountable for is 46 interceptions that he has thrown since 2014, the sub 60% completion percentage, and the wildly erratic nature of his play. His 11 interceptions and 2 fumbles in 2016 have cost the Jaguars tremendously, but what might be even worse is his inability to consistently hit receivers in stride or even deliver a catchable ball. Yesterday against the Texans Bortles had a nightmarish first interception that was returned for 6 by Kareem Jackson. Then Bortles through a ball that bounced off T.J Yeldon's foot into the waiting arms of a defender. It was a poor throw and decision by Bortles. Some may argue "that was a flukey interception". But my friends, when there are flukey interceptions happening game in and game out it's no longer a fluke. In addition to his 2 interceptions yesterday, he also failed to complete any passes that went 20 or more yards down field. Bortles is very bad right now, and he's brining the team down with him. It becomes more clear every game that Bortles is truly Captain Garbage Time - whether or not he can reverse this trend before seasons end remains to be seen, but if he doesn't it would be hard for me to imagine the Jaguars not bringing in some sort of competition at the QB spot in 2017.

2. Sen'Derrick Marks is pissed

And he should be. Sure, he hasn't been the havoc wreaking 2014 version of himself this season, but he has been a useful and sometimes impact player for the Jaguars in 2016. Marks spoke with the Florida Times Union after the game:

Watching is not my game ... I've flat out done a lot for this organization and to be slapped in the face -- I was on the sideline for the majority of the game and I didn't like it . . . I don't want to be a distraction and I don't want to sound selfish, but I want it to be known that I'm not happy, period. 

Marks is a guy that lives for football. He loves it plain and simple and for him to not be playing much is a tough pill to swallow for the 29 year old defensive tackle. The Jaguars have a lot of issues right now, and every week it seems that more negative story lines are adding up. Marks' comments clearly show a locker room that is divided. I don't believe that the locker room is just now becoming fractured either, players have been speaking to the media for several weeks about issues they have with this team. It's a sad thing to see.

3. The Jaguars young defenders have ZERO discipline

I'm mainly referring to Jalen Ramsey and Dante Fowler. Ramsey had a strong showing yesterday against one of the leagues best wide outs. Fowler on the other hand didn't have a great game. His worst moment was a bone headed shove of Texans QB Brock Osweiler, when Osweiler had clearly already run out of bounds. Week in and week out these young, talented defenders show their lack of discipline and accountability when they commit these dumb penalties. Each of them have been penalized multiple times for extra curricular activity and or unnecessary roughness. These guys need to learn to play with some accountability and quit costing their team 15 yards every time they lose their mind at the end of a play. It's tough to watch the Jaguars as a whole in 2016, but completely unnecessary penalties drive coaches and fans crazy. These two need to be held more accountable for their actions on the field moving forward.

4. Malik Jackson is starting to earn his paycheck 

Like I've said before it's hard to see Malik Jackson's true impact when looking at stats. But when you watch him play and see how disruptive he is in the middle of the line you begin to understand the type of impact he can have. Jackson dominated the line of scrimmage yesterday and got after Brock Osweiler several times in addition to recording four stops in the run game. While the Jaguars as a whole are total trash Malik Jackson should be considered a key piece moving forward, and should not be looked at as part of the problem with the current state of the Jaguars.

5. This team is a total dumpster fire

A lame duck coach, an undisciplined group of players on the field, a quarterback who literally can't get out of his own way, an offensive line that isn't good at opening up running lanes, players calling out fans, fans calling out players, fans calling out members of the organization, players calling out the organization. Yep each one of these things is a thing that is happening to the Jaguars this year. Sure, most people already knew coming into this year that Gus Bradley wasn't the head coach we've been looking for. But to see the players turn on the fans and vise versa, and then to see players call out the organization, is not something I could have predicted prior to the season. I also couldn't have predicted the huge step backward that Bortles has taken in 2016. It's tough to watch this dumpster fire of a team week in and week out. What's even tougher is writing about them every week, but I digress. 

I love the Jaguars. I love Generation Jaguar. I love the Bold City Brigade. I love the Teal Street Hooligans. I love every single fan including the countless fans from overseas and as far away as Australia. I love my readers. I love Jaguars reddit. I love all of you!

Stay strong, and stay united over the final seven games of 2016. This is a pivotal time in the story of the Jacksonville Jaguars and we need to stay strong together while we go through these trying times! 

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