Jacksonville Jaguars final grades: Mostly failure after performing well below expectations

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Jacksonville Jaguars final grades: Mostly failure after performing well below expectations

Gene Frenette, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union · The Florida Times-Union

Thu, Jan 16, 2025 ·

14 min read

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When assessing the Jacksonville Jaguars ' 2024 season, the only appropriate sound to accurately depict it might be of a flushing toilet.

Everything about the season was such an eyesore, the next Jaguars ' head coach and his staff may only get limited use out of reviewing the tape.

No year in franchise history was more disappointing, given the reasonably high expectations and what should have been ample motivation to rebound from blowing the AFC South title in 2023.

The Jaguars completely lost their way, resulting in the firing of third-year head coach Doug Pederson and making fans wonder when "Duuu-val" will ever have a sustained winner under 13-year owner Shad Khan .

Any hope for a promising year was pretty much doused by an 0-4 start, followed later by a slew of key offensive starters, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence , being lost to season-ending injuries.

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, seen here being carted off the field after taking a vicious hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, missed seven games in 2024 and had season-ending surgery on a sprained AC joint. That factored heavily into the team's offense performing well below expectations.

Without the emergence of rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. , the Jaguars this season had minimal entertainment value.

The offense struggled to move the chains. The pass defense often looked in complete disarray under first-year coordinator Ryan Nielsen , which contributed mightily to 10 one-score losses (an NFL record) and Pederson being sent to the unemployment line.

No group did their job properly outside of special teams, which is reflected in this final report card about the '24 Jaguars.

Offense: C-minus

To some degree, this mediocre unit gets a sliver of forgiveness for having seven starters miss multiple games due to injuries.

None were more impactful than seeing Lawrence, tight end Evan Engram and receivers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis sidelined for a combined 33 games. Even the best NFL teams would be severely diminished with that kind of attrition.

Lawrence being out for seven games was the second-most in Jaguars history by a starting quarterback, behind Nick Foles missing eight starts in 2019 due to a broken clavicle.

But even with Lawrence and most of his weapons healthy (Engram missed Weeks 2-5) through the first nine games, the Jaguars were still ranked only 21st in total offense and had a miserable third-down efficiency rate of 31.6 percent (31 of 98).

The Jaguars got better at moving the chains in the second half, raising the conversion rate to 37 percent (76 of 204), but that was still below the previous two seasons.

While medical calamities limited the offense in the final two months — averaging 15.5 points in the last eight games — the Jaguars performed well below expectations when their best skill players were on the field.

The running game with backs Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby totally vanished for a six-game stretch after a 32-16 win over the New England Patriots in London , which made for an especially vexing situation once all the top weapons were gone.

The Jaguars went from a respectable 124.3 yards per game (12th in NFL) in the first seven weeks to 69.3 yards and a minuscule 3.3 yards per carry over the next six games.

Lawrence nailed it in his postseason press conference last week when citing the lack of an effective running game being a big reason why the offense struggled. It's been an ongoing issue the past two seasons.

In 2023, the Jaguars averaged just 96.8 yards per game rushing and ranked 23rd in the NFL, and it was no better this season at 101.7 yards per game and 26th in the league. They remained suspect as ever in short-yardage situations, converting just 15 of 28 (53.6 percent) on third-and-1.

Etienne, after a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons, saw his production dip significantly with 150 carries for 558 yards (3.7-yard average), putting his future in doubt beyond the final year of his contract in 2025.

As for Bigsby, he took on a bigger role as the season went on, finishing with 766 yards on 168 attempts (4.6-yard average) and seven touchdowns. But he also fumbled four times, and though opponents recovered just one, plenty of uncertainty remains whether Bigsby can be trusted as a feature back.

But overshadowing this offense more than anything else is Lawrence's development and how that might look with a new coaching staff, especially since his ability to stay healthy is becoming more of an issue.

Through four NFL seasons, Lawrence hasn't seen the kind of progress expected for someone taken No. 1 in the 2021 draft and hyped as a generational quarterback. Some of that is coaching instability and lack of a consistent running game, but the truth is Lawrence hasn't advanced the instinctual part of his game enough to become an elite QB.

His decision-making at times is suspect, like trying to throw a jump ball to third-team running back D'Ernest Johnson in the end zone on first down against the Philadelphia Eagles, trailing 28-23 . That resulted in a game-sealing interception by linebacker Nkobe Dean with 1:38 remaining.

Instead of throwing the ball away, Lawrence forced a pass to a less athletic target than Thomas and the slightly overthrown ball was easily picked off.

All year long, bad plays at the worst possible time sabotaged the offense. Losing four of seven games when leading in the fourth quarter is especially troubling.

The misery during an 0-4 start was lowlighted by a 24-20 loss at Houston in which the offense failed four times to extend a 20-17 lead, followed by Texans ' quarterback C.J. Stroud directing a 69-yard, game-winning drive.

Whether it was Etienne's fumble into the end zone against the Miami Dolphins in the season opener (already holding a 17-7 lead), or a Johnson illegal shift penalty that nullified a Christian Kirk go-ahead, fourth quarter touchdown the next week against the Cleveland Browns , the Jaguars had a knack for messing up in game-deciding moments.

Lawrence's trajectory over three years in the Pederson system showed, at best, minimal progress. Every pertinent number — completion percentage (60.5 percent), yards per attempt (7.2 yards), touchdown-interception ratio (11-7), QB rating (85.2) — declined or stayed about the same from the previous season.

Even allowing for Lawrence and all his weapons being healthy, there should be concern about the quarterback's career stagnating a bit, which is a big reason why Pederson was fired.

The one bright spot for this underachieving offense was Thomas, who became only the seventh rookie in NFL history to eclipse 1,200 yards receiving and also have 10 touchdown catches.

He also drew several pass interference penalties, including a 40-yarder on Miami's Jalen Ramsey that led to a 96-yard TD drive, the Jaguars' longest of the season. Ten of the Jaguars' 16 pass plays of 30-plus yards were caught by Thomas, so imagine how explosive he could be in the future if Lawrence stays healthy and the franchise hires the right coaching staff.

Losing Engram and Kirk for a prolonged period forced Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones , who started seven of the last eight games, to look Thomas' way more often and that boosted his numbers. He was targeted 70 times with 45 receptions in the last six games, compared to 63 targets and 42 catches in the first 11 contests.

The offensive line mostly stayed healthy, but its performance was a mixed bag. The Jaguars' anemic run game is a clear sign that blocking needed to be much better, while pass protection was respectable. Quarterbacks were sacked 32 times, tied for seventh for least sacks in the NFL.

Overall, the Jaguars beyond Thomas simply weren't good enough offensively to be anything close to a contender in a weak AFC South division.

Defense: F

It's impossible to sugarcoat how astoundingly bad this unit was under first-year coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

After Pederson fired most of the defensive staff and coordinator Mike Caldwell because of how the Jaguars collapsed in the final six games of 2023, the expectation was Nielsen's success with the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints would elevate the defense.

Instead, the Jaguars were a patsy for just about every opponent that had a respectable offense, allowing 400-plus yards in nine games and 5.89 yards per play, second-worst in the NFL behind the Carolina Panthers .

Nothing about Nielsen's defense was even close to adequate. Its one shining moment came against the Minnesota Vikings , which was Jones' first QB start.

The defense kept Minnesota out of the end zone and forced an uncharacteristic three turnovers in a deflating 12-7 loss.

Otherwise, the Jaguars repeatedly struggled to get stops when it mattered. Even in a 37-34 win over Indianapolis , the secondary allowed Colts receiver Alec Pierce to get behind them twice in the fourth quarter for big plays that allowed Indy to tie the game, 34-34, before Cam Little 's game-winning field goal bailed them out.

The defense failed to hold four fourth-quarter leads, none more infuriating than seeing QB Aidan O'Connell methodically march the Las Vegas Raiders 70 yards for a touchdown just before Christmas to snap their 10-game losing streak.

Pass coverage was an abomination. The Jaguars were dead last in allowing 257.4 yards per game and the quarterback rating by opponents of 101.76 was the highest allowed in franchise history.

Part of the problem was an insufficient pass rush, which finished 28th in sacks with 34. Travon Walker had a second straight double-digit sack season, but defensive end Josh Hines-Allen on the opposite side dropped from 17.5 sacks in 2024 to 8.0. As was the case last year, the Jaguars had no effective pass-rusher besides Walker and Hines-Allen.

Nielsen didn't exactly help the defense by moving linebacker Foye Oluokun , a tackling machine, out of the middle and putting Devin Lloyd there. It was stunning Nielsen didn't put Oluokun back in his comfort spot when the defense kept struggling.

The strategy to use free-agent tackle Arik Armstead as much on the edge as inside was also questionable. Armstead had one of the worst seasons of his career, far less impactful than most of his nine years with the San Francisco 49ers .

But no stat was more damning for Nielsen and the Jaguars than having just nine takeaways (lowest in NFL) and six interceptions (second-lowest). Both those numbers also tied for the least in Jaguars history.

Compare that interception total to the AFC South champion Texans, who had a combined dozen picks just against the Detroit Lions ' Jared Goff (5), the Miami Dolphins ' Tua Tagovailoa (3) and the Los Angeles Chargers ' Justin Herbert (4) in Sunday's AFC wild-card game.

Houston's penchant for thievery was a big part of repeating as division champions, allowing the Texans to finish seventh in the league with a plus-10 turnover differential. The Jaguars were at minus-15.

Incredibly, not one Jaguar defender had more than one interception, a first in team history. Cornerback Tyson Campbell , given a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension, had zero interceptions in 12 games after missing most of the early season with a hamstring injury.

Over the entire season, the Jaguars' defense gave the offense the ball in the opponents' territory eight times, but only twice off a turnover, the first being a Walker strip-sack at home against Indianapolis (recovered by Hines-Allen) and a Lloyd interception at home against Tennessee .

Opposing offenses got to start 21 drives in Jaguars territory, with 13 resulting from turnovers. That massive difference in favorable field position was a significant factor in Jacksonville losing all those close games.

Whoever gets the head coaching job, a lot of people will be paying attention to how much Pederson's replacement can elevate Lawrence and the offense.

But just as big a priority must be repairing a broken defense. It was deplorable on so many levels.

Special teams: A-minus

Nothing new here.

Heath Farwell's unit has been the most consistent performing group the past three years, so he won't have any problem finding a job whether it's with the new coaching staff or somewhere else.

The only team in the NFL as well rounded on special teams as the Jaguars was the Detroit Lions, but they didn't have a first-team All-Pro punter ( Logan Cooke ) or All-Pro long snapper ( Ross Matiscik ).

Even the Jaguars' rookie kicker, Little, showed Pro Bowl form by converting 27 of 29 field goal attempts, making every PAT kick and turning 67 of 77 kickoffs into touchbacks. His 93.1 FG percentage was third-best in the NFL.

Among the few bright spots for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season was kicker Cam Little (39), who was successful on 27 of 29 field goal attempts. Here Little boots the game-winning field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Indianapolis Colts, 37-34, in October at EverBank Stadium. — Jacksonville Jaguars place kicker Cam Little (39) kicks a game-winning field goal as punter Logan Cooke (9) holds during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

About the only thing the Jaguars didn't do exceptionally well on special teams was return kicks. Between Devin Duvernay , Bigsby and Parker Washington , they averaged 25.7 yards per return and a 29-yard line starting position (29th in NFL).

Thanks to Washington's franchise-record 96-yard punt return touchdown before the half against the New England Patriots , the Jaguars ended up seventh in the league in that category with an 11.8-yard average. The lone turnover came on the opening punt against the Philadelphia Eagles when Austin Trammell , playing because the Jaguars didn't want Washington pulling double duty, fumbled as a gunner reached in and pulled out the ball.

From a coverage standpoint, the Jaguars were outstanding. Special teams allowed no punt return longer than 22 yards ( Buffalo Bills ' Brandon Codrington ) or kick return beyond 34 yards (Philadelphia Eagles' Kenneth Gainwell ). The opposition's 274 kick return yards were the fewest in the NFL because Little allowed only 10 returns. Daniel Thomas also got the unit's lone turnover against Houston when he recovered a muffed punt by Steven Sims at the 2-yard-line, leading to a touchdown.

Cooke finally got deserved Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition for a distinguished career, which still has him with a net punting average of 43.6 yards, the best in NFL history by anyone with a minimum 300 punts. He had a career-best net average this season of 44.8 yards.

Cooke's snapper, Matiscik, led the Jaguars in special-teams tackles last year with eight. In 2024, opponents began game-planning against him and he had just two tackles, often dealing with an extra blocker to keep him from getting downfield too quickly.

The Jaguars had no field goals, punts or PATs blocked. Roy Robertson-Harris , the day after he blocked a Chicago Bears field goal, was surprisingly traded to the Seattle Seahawks . He also blocked a PAT after the opening Buffalo Bills' touchdown in Week 3.

If the rest of the Jaguars' units had performed half as well as special teams under the direction of Farwell and assistant Luke Thompson, the 2024 season would have likely been more memorable.

Coaching: D

The only thing keeping this from a failing grade is Pederson's staff got the Jaguars to give close to maximum effort after any hope for the playoffs was extinguished by the Detroit Lions in a 52-6 rout on Nov. 17, dropping their record to 2-9.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, seen here exiting the field at Lucas Oil Stadium after a season-ending overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts, couldn't get his team to perform well in clutch moments in 2024 as the Jaguars lost an NFL-record 10 one-score games. He was fired after three seasons on Black Monday.

Nothing defined this exasperating season more than the Jaguars' inability to execute in game-defining moments.

They were the antithesis of Team Clutch, and a lot of that failure falls on Pederson's staff not maximizing a reasonably talented roster before injuries further compromised winning.

Jacksonville led seven games going into the fourth quarter and won only three. It was an astounding 1-6 in games when the Jaguars scored first. They trailed in 10 games after three quarters, with their only comeback victory being a 10-6 win at Tennessee in Week 14, the lowest scoring game of the NFL season at the time.

On both offense and defense, Pederson's staff wasn't able to get anywhere close to maximum mileage out of a decent roster. While injuries certainly impacted that to a degree, the coaches rarely got the Jaguars to play complementary football.

Just when one unit would have stretches of carrying its weight, the other would falter and the result was another one-score loss.

When owner Shad Khan chastised the Jaguars in a Zoom call after Pederson's firing for being too "predictable" on both sides of the ball, he wasn't being overly dramatic.

None of the Jaguars' offensive skill players outside Thomas did much of anything, and that is supposed to be Pederson's specialty. He went out and hired Nielsen, the conductor of the worst defense in franchise history.

Many Jaguars critics were disappointed that general manager Trent Baalke retained his position, which could be a fluid situation depending on the outcome of the coaching search.

But looking at the big picture, Pederson didn't give Khan a whole lot of ammunition to justify keeping his job.

gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars final grades: Disappointing season on many levels

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