JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars offense is playing well ... very well. But, they could still be better.
Trevor Lawrence is playing some of the best football of his career, Bhayshul Tuten looks like an ascending star, and the Jaguars have several rookies making a big impact on the offensive side of the ball. But there is one issue that has hurt the Jaguars' offense in recent weeks: drops.
The Jaguars curiously had 5 drops recorded against the Texans in Week 6: 2 from Parker Washington, two from Brian Thomas Jr,, and one from Jakobi Meyers. This also comes a week after the Jaguars had similar issues against the Philadelphia Eagles, with Washington having an uncharacteristic drop against Philadelphia in Week 5 and Thomas also having two passes hit his hands in the end zone that he failed to complete.
Would the Jaguars have defeated the Texans if they curbed their drops? Perhaps, perhaps not. But it was a sign of the Jaguars' self-inflicted mistakes once again holding them back from hitting their offensive potential.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was asked after the Texans' loss about the Jaguars' drops in the 34-31 loss in Week 6 , and he did not seem overly concerned based on the context of the game, from the conditions of the field with the weather and even with some of the passes.
"I couldn't tell on a few; if it was, like, the one across the middle, Jakobi [WR Jakobi Meyers] I thought it was a little lower. It was wet for sure out there early on I felt the drops. I couldn't really tell if we just didn't connect on that deep corner ball to Parker [WR Parker Washington] there towards the end. I couldn't tell if we could have made the play or not. From where I was standing, I couldn't tell. But, yeah, we got to find a way in those moments to be able to make some of those plays," Coen said Sunday.
But regardless of Coen's concern level, the Jaguars have to make this an emphais before they take the field in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. Drops loomed over the Jaguars at times a year ago, and they have somehow crept back up after the Jaguars seemed to rid themselves of the issue during the second-half of last season.
Washington and Meyers are normally sure-handed receivers, and the same can be said for tight end Brenton Strange, who has also had a few drops during the first six weeks. Thomas has had issues with drops dating back to last season, and the Jaguars have seemingly reached the end of their rope with him. But when the team's best and most reliable pass-catchers are putting the ball on the ground in key moments, the Jaguars are going to find it tough to not get into one-score games week in and week out.
The margin for error is truly that small in the NFL. The Jaguars' offense is exceptional, but it can, and should, be better. After the bye week, that will largely depend on whether the Jaguars have solved their newfound drops issue.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi as One Curious Offensive Concern the Jaguars Must Clean Up After Bye Week .
