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Mac Jones can't ignite tepid Jacksonville Jaguars offense in 12-7 loss to Vikings
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- Mac Jones can't ignite tepid Jacksonville Jaguars offense in 12-7 loss to Vikings
This isn't how Mac Jones envisioned his first start as the Jacksonville Jaguars ' quarterback going down.
Despite struggling for the better part of three quarters, The Bolles School product was given three chances by an inspired Jaguars defense to lead a go-ahead or game-winning drive Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in the final seven minutes.
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But there would be no fairy-tale ending for the hometown kid . Just another sad chapter in a Jaguars season where they keep losing games by every heartbreak imaginable.
This time, the backup quarterback called upon in relief of the shoulder-impaired Trevor Lawrence found himself falling on the sword for an impotent offense that did next to nothing in a 12-7 loss at EverBank Stadium .
On a day where Ryan Neilsen's defense came alive by getting three interceptions , giving Jones repeated chances to be the hero, he and a floundering offense couldn't give the Jaguars a puncher's chance.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) is sacked during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Vikings defeated the Jaguars 12-7. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
"Just going back to the defense, I already told them they played a great game," Jones said from the Jaguars' postgame podium. "I've got to put a better product out there to help us win."
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It was a sobering, accurate concession from a quarterback who savors this kind of moment. Both during Jones' national championship season at Alabama and in his up-and-down, three-year stint with the New England Patriots , all he wanted was a chance to prove his worth.
JAGUARS GRADES: They ace test on defense, failing offense dooms them in 12-7 loss to Vikings
Now he finally had that opportunity with his hometown team and couldn't hide the fact that the Jaguars' offense failed miserably.
Jones refused to even hint at any extenuating circumstance. He accepted the blame, even as head coach Doug Pederson and teammates rushed to his defense.
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"Been playing my whole life and played a lot of football in this league, and I know what I've got to do to win," said Jones. "And today what I put on the field wasn't good enough."
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) is swallowed up by the Minnesota Vikings defense during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Vikings defeated the Jaguars 12-7. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
No sugarcoating a bad offense
It was just one week ago that a Lawrence-led offense sleepwalked through the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles , accumulating 31 yards on 18 plays.
Well, after Jones was perfectly efficient in driving the Jaguars to a first-quarter touchdown — completing all four passes for 48 yards — the offense went belly up the rest of the game.
A virtually non-existent running attack (56 yards on 18 attempts) only made matters worse. Plus, a ball-control Vikings offense that still managed to keep possession for an NFL season-best 42 minutes, 19 seconds, despite Sam Darnold throwing three interceptions, translated into just 43 total plays for the Jaguars.
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All those negative numbers aside, Jones and the offense had numerous chances to snap a nine-game losing streak (now 10) dating back to 2016 against NFC North opponents.
The first time, on second-and-13 from his own 27, Jones and center Mitch Morse failed to connect on a snap and the Vikings pounced on the loose ball at the Jacksonville 25. A John Parker Romo field goal then extended Minnesota's lead to 12-7 with 4:22 remaining.
A couple plays later, Jones stared down receiver Gabe Davis too long, forcing a ball that was easily intercepted by cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. The Vikings were in position to bleed a lot of clock, but they foolishly tried to pass on third-and-1, leading to a Travon Walker sack that gave the Jaguars one more shot at stealing a victory.
The result was just another way for a Brian Flores, on-point defense to twist the knife a little deeper into the Jaguars.
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On first down from the Vikings' 43, Jones tried for a home run to Davis, but linebacker Blake Cashman made contact as he stepped into the throw. The long ball sailed too far and away from Davis, getting picked off near the goal line by safety Camryn Bynum .
It was impossible for Jones to ignore the galling offensive numbers on the Jaguars' last three possessions: one fumble, two interceptions, nine plays, 17 total yards.
"No excuses, just go through my reads and live to fight another down," Jones said. "Especially in those situations on first down. Nothing that anybody else did, it's on me.
"The defense got us the ball back. As the quarterback, you've got to put the ball in play and let the guys make plays. It's on me."
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Coming to Mac's defense
For all the criticism directed at the 2-8 Jaguars, much of it deserved for losing 13 of their last 16 games, it's commendable how there has been no finger-pointing from the players at each other or the coaching staff.
So it was no surprise that as Jones kept blaming himself for the chains not moving — the Jaguars had season-lows in points, total yards, first downs and second-lowest in yards per pass attempt — everybody around him rushed to defend him.
"He's hurting. He's taking it hard," said Pederson. "I just told him, again it's not about one guy. This is a team deal and offensively, we didn't do enough around Mac. And I'm not, listen, it takes 11 guys."
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Tight end Evan Engram , the Jaguars' top receiver with six catches for 49 yards, got a bit emotional when hearing how Jones put so much of the loss on himself.
"We got to be better for him, that's the moral of the story," said Engram. "We got to make the plays, we got to be out of the tough situations. It's not all on him."
When asked about his quarterback's disappointment, seldom-used receiver Tim Jones had a similar spin.
"Everybody's just not working together like we should be, man," he said. "It's 11 as one, that's what it is. You can't be 10 as one, 9 as one, you got to be 11 as one. That's how we can keep moving forward and keep drives going."
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown (30) celebrates his interception during the second quarter an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Stout defense not enough to save Jaguars
After getting torched by quarterback after quarterback this season, Jacksonville's defense finally showed some teeth against the Vikings.
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It only put Darnold on the ground once, but the Jaguars made him pay for trying to force the ball to Jefferson too many times (9 targets). Not that trying to get the ball to one of the NFL's best receivers is a bad thing, but Darnold had far more success connecting with tight ends T.J. Hockenson and ex-Jaguar Josh Oliver .
The Vikings moved the ball up and down the field, but never cashed in when they got to the red zone, where they were 0-for-5. All their scoring came on Parker Romo field goals.
"Yeah, there were a lot of long drives they had, extended drives," said linebacker Foye Oluokun . "Kept them on the field and we've got to do a better of getting off on third downs. I think if you get the ball back to your offense in better field position, you're going to help them out."
That's a good teammate and leader being a bit nit-picky. The Vikings were held to 12 points and no touchdowns. That's enough to win over 90 percent of NFL games.
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But in this season of the Jaguars consistently finding ways to avoid winning, this was almost a fitting end with a different quarterback. It's just who this team is.
Pederson, flummoxed to stop the momentum building against his team and sitting on one of the NFL's hottest seats, knows time is running out. His team shares the league's worst record with the New York Giants and whatever pipe dream it had for a playoff berth is virtually extinguished.
"Never expected to be here," said Pederson . "We had five or six games, they're one-score games. It's hard. As a team, as coaches, we're making it hard, too hard.
"And the guys are frustrated, and they should be. And they're angry, and they should be because we all are."
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Nobody felt that pain and anguish Sunday quite like Mac Jones. Everything was in his hands to be a hometown hero.
But like every other player during this exasperating Jaguars' season, he left with the same empty feeling.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Mac Jones denied storybook ending in first NFL hometown start
