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Jacksonville Jaguars nearly awarded straight As for their dominant victory over Chargers
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- Jacksonville Jaguars nearly awarded straight As for their dominant victory over Chargers
Grading the Jacksonville Jaguars' 35-6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 16 at EverBank Stadium.
The Jaguars (6-4) will play at Arizona on Nov. 23.
Offense: A
It wasn't overwhelming from a statistical standpoint. The Jaguars didn't have a 100-yard rusher or a 100-yard receiver. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had his season low in passing yards with 153 and had an interception.
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But here are the stats that count: The Jags did not have an offensive penalty, Logan Cooke did not attempt a punt (the first time since 2010 that the Jags didn't punt in a game), they scored on five of six red-zone possessions and on all four possessions inside the 10; and Lawrence wasn't sacked and was hit only twice.
The Jags also gave the defense some rest with four scoring drives of 74 yards or longer and the offensive line moved defenders and paved the way for the running game to average 4.1 yards per attempt on 192 yards. The Jaguars didn't help fantasy owners. But it was their best overall offensive performance of the season.
Defense: A
Despite losing cornerback Greg Newsome early, which left them with only one opening-day starter in the secondary (safety Andrew Wingard ), Justin Herbert , an elite NFL quarterback, seemed baffled by coverages. The Jaguars had seven passes defensed, including Antonio Johnson 's interception. Herbert was also on the run with six quarterback hits and three sacks.
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) celebrates his interception during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 35-6. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Josh Hines-Allen finally got the sack that gave him the franchise career record, Travon Walker came back as tough as you'd expect after an injury, and the Chargers had only 2.6 yards per rushing attempt (42 yards) and eight first downs. Herbert was 10 of 18 for a minuscule 81 yards.
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Herbert has found his kryptonite in playing the Jaguars, losing three of four games and the last two in Jacksonville (counting the 2022 playoff loss ). He's also 0-3 against Lawrence.
Special teams: B
Cooke had only one job, holding on five conversions, which Cam Little sent through the uprights. The Jaguars covered well, especially Yasir Abdullah , who made a big hit on Chargers' returner Derius Davis on the opening kickoff.
Parker Washington made one questionable decision, calling for a fair catch and letting the ball bounce. The Chargers seemed to have recovered at the 1, but the officials ruled it was touched by an LA player on the 25. He also bobbled another fair catch. But with three punt returns for touchdowns in the last two seasons, who's going to quibble?
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Intangibles: A
There's no question that Liam Coen and his staff did a superb job in getting the team to put the Houston debacle last week behind them and focus on the here and now. The Jaguars, without WRs Brian Thomas Jr., and Travis Hunter, TE Brenton Strange, OT Anton Harrison , and losing two defensive starters during the game (Newsome and Walker), routed a team that was 7-3 and on a three-game winning streak, with one of the NFL's better quarterbacks.
Coen finally got the Wildcat to work in a short-yardage situation in the second quarter (although Travis Etienne was stopped at the line and got into the end zone with a great second effort).
The only questionable call came in the fourth quarter when the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-three at the Chargers' 30 with 8:07 left in the game. Lawrence was rushed and tried to throw the ball away, and almost had his right arm bent backward by Troy Dye . The ruling on the field of a fumble was changed to an incomplete pass, but at that point, why not let Little try a 47-yard field goal?
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While it's true that the Chargers are beat up on the offensive line, the Jaguars took advantage of it. All things considered, it was a wonderful week of preparation that translated into a stellar performance. The messaging was clear and the game plan and execution were flawless.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars grade out with As almost everywhere vs Chargers
