Tuesday Takeaways: Jags @ Ravens

The Jaguars return home after escaping Baltimore with a narrow 22-20 victory. Here's what we noticed in the Jaguars' win and what they need to focus on moving forward.

By Jordan de Lugo

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The youthful Jaguars are coming off a gutty victory over the Ravens —a victory that puts them in position to control their own destiny in their chase for the AFC South Crown. The team wasn't perfect, but they got the job done with a lot of grit, effort and just a bit of luck. They are now 3-6 and will have ample opportunity to take control of their division as they have four division games left on their schedule. 
The Jaguars’ offensive line and rookie running back, T.J. Yeldon, must become more cohesive. At this point it seems as though they have one or two good games in a row and then have a stinker. This offensive line group is still gaining chemistry, as they have not had much time to develop as a unit and have been hampered by injuries. The Jaguars are now in position to make a run at a division title and if they are going to do so, they will need the ground attack to be more reliable than it has been to this point in the season.

Blake Bortles should be better than Mark Brunell. Yes, that’s a bold statement, but it’s the truth. In only his second year he is already on pace to break most Jaguars’ single season passing records and possibly guide his team to the playoffs. While he is clearly much improved this year, there are still some things he needs to work on. His passing accuracy is sub par as his completion percentage is right around 55, while most quality quarterbacks are above 60%. As he gains more chemistry with receivers not named Allen, this percentage should rise and if it does the Jags should be able to win many of their remaining games.

The Jags must figure out a way to manufacture pressure. Sen’Derrick Marks, who is the Jaguars’ best interior defensive lineman, is likely out for the season with a torn triceps muscle. This is a crushing blow for him and the team as he was just rounding back into form coming off of a torn ACL. Without Marks in the lineup the Jaguars will have to be more creative in their play calling in order to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks. When Dan Skuta returns to the lineup they should look to utilize his natural pass rush ability to help create more pressure. In addition to featuring the ferocious pass rush of Skuta, they need to get Ryan Davis more involved, who prior to this season, looked like a blossoming pass rusher. The Jags are in the bottom half of the league in sacks and must improve their pass rush if they are to win the AFC South. 

​The Brothers Allen are simply undeniable. They are on pace to have the best receiving season for a duo in Jaguars’ history. Hurns caught a touchdown pass for his Jaguars’ franchise record seventh game in a row, while Robinson hauled in another touchdown as well. They both have seven touchdowns on the season. In a game where the Jags’ offense struggled, these two still managed to have a huge impact on the game. They will need to continue to be steady targets for the Jaguars’ offense down the stretch.

Davon House made two interceptions against the Ravens, giving the Jaguars’ secondary two interceptions on the year — while they were finally able to create turnovers, they still gave up way to many yards (316) to Joe Flacco and allowed him to complete 75% of his passes. The lack of pass rush certainly is contributing to the success of opposing quarterbacks against the Jags this year, but the secondary must improve as well. 

​The Colts and Texans both now stand at 4-5, a full game in front of the Jaguars in the AFC South standings, but the Jaguars still play each of them once and play the Titans twice. The Jaguars control their own destiny and will need to beat the Titans on Thursday Night Football if they want to stay alive in the division race.