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Jacksonville Jaguars ace test on defense, failing offense dooms them in 12-7 loss to Vikings
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- Jacksonville Jaguars ace test on defense, failing offense dooms them in 12-7 loss to Vikings
Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette grades the Jaguars ' performance in a 12-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings based on execution, effort and game circumstances.
Offense: F
With backup QB Mac Jones making his first start in his hometown, the Jaguars went a more conservative route with their passing attack and it ultimately doomed them. There was one deep ball for Gabe Davis that got intercepted and few targets for their best vertical weapon, Brian Thomas, Jr. He didn't get targeted until one minute remained in the third quarter and that pass wasn't even close to him. He had two catches on three targets for 12 yards. That is unacceptable no matter what kind of defense the Jaguars are facing.
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On the lone first-half touchdown drive, Jones was at his best, completing all four pass attempts for 48 yards, capped by a 1-yard sneak into the end zone. The Jaguars also caught a break on another series when Jones was ruled down on a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by linebacker Blake Cashman .
Outside of that first-quarter TD drive, the offense did next to nothing and only possessed the ball for 17 minutes, 41 seconds. Jones was responsible for all three Jaguars turnovers (2 interceptions, 1 fumble) in the fourth quarter.
The offense barely moved the ball in the second half, gaining only 42 yards on 16 plays. The Jaguars had more yards after their TD drive (72 yards) than for the remaining 48:44. It was a sobering reminder of why not having a healthy Trevor Lawrence is a killer for the Jaguars. An inability to generate any kind of rushing attack with Travis Etienne (11 carries, 44 yards) and Tank Bigsby (2 carries, 4 yards) made things tougher on Jones.
Defense: A-minus
This was by far the best display put on by Ryan Neilsen's unit all season, holding Minnesota to 12 points and exceeding their season interception total with three picks off Sam Darnold , one each by linebacker Foye Oluokun , cornerback Montaric Brown and safety Darnell Savage .
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) breaks up a pass intended for Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) during the second quarter 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]
All those passes were intended for the Vikings ' top receiver, Justin Jefferson . Tyson Campbell broke up a ball that deflected into Oluokun's hands. Another pass by Darnold (24 of 41, 241 yards, 48.2 QB rating) in the end zone for Jefferson was behind him and Brown made the diving pick. Savage's interception at the goal line was a ball Darnold forced on third down to start the second half.
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The defense gave up 402 total yards, but held Minnesota to just five third-down conversions in 14 attempts. Considering it was on the field for 42 minutes, 19 seconds, it's nothing short of a miracle that the defense gave up no touchdowns and kept the Jaguars in the game the whole way. They would have had one last shot at pulling it out in the final minute, but Travon Walker got overly exuberant trying to punch the ball out from running back Aaron Jones , picking up an unnecessary roughness penalty to seal the outcome. Otherwise, it was an inspired effort that warranted a better result.
Special teams: B-minus
There were not many real opportunities to impact the outcome as Minnesota had only two punts, leading to one fair catch and another that sailed out of bounds. Bigsby had the lone kickoff return for 24 yards. For the second straight week, kicker Cam Little had only one PAT kick and no field goal attempts.
Logan Cooke was a valuable weapon with five punts for a 49-yard net average, though seeing his booming 68-yard punt trickle into the end zone was no doubt a disappointment. Four of his five punts were inside the 20. Three of John Parker Romo 's four field goals were basically from PAT range and the other from 45 yards out.
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Coaching: C-plus
It's a tale of two different units as the offense continued to flounder, while the defense played its best game of 2024. Head coach Doug Pederson just can't get his football team to play complementary football. Either all units except special teams are underperforming, or when the offense plays well enough to win, the defense can't hold up its end.
Against the Vikings, it was just the opposite. A Jones-led offense struggled all day to move the chains, wasting a winning performance by the defense. This is what happens on bad teams. They keep finding ways to not win games as the Jaguars lost for an NFL-leading sixth time this season by five or less points. Players keep saying they have to be better, which is accurate, but this ultimately falls on Pederson.
The Jaguars have lost 13 of their last 16 games and with a road game against the Detroit Lions coming up before a bye week, it should be obvious to owner Shad Khan that a leadership change must be executed at some point.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars grades: Terrible offense ruins great defense in loss to Vikings
