Jaguars still searching for consistent offense: ‘It just comes down to execution’

After the Jaguars' humiliating home loss Sunday to the 49ers, the worst offensive showing of the Doug Pederson era in Jacksonville, tight end Evan Engram acknowledged a reality about the team's offense. 

"It's just the stuff we've been getting away with finally caught up to us," Engram said, via News4JAX. "We've been turning the ball over and our defense has been bailing us out, and then we'll show flashes and score points when we need to and get out with wins. And today, it caught up with us. So we gotta fix that." 

Nine games into the season, this just may be what Jacksonville's offense is in 2023. 

And that's not to say it's the disastrous product it put on the field last week in a 34-3 loss. It's to say we should no longer be gauging this offense based on the expectations we had for it in the offseason. Back then, we looked on paper and saw a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence — entering his third season, the second with Pederson — surrounded by top-level playmakers (Christian Kirk, Engram, Calvin Ridley, Travis Etienne Jr.) and an offensive line filled with high-paid players and top draft picks. 

Against San Francisco, all phases faltered for Jacksonville. But the macro theme of this season has been that the offense could be an Achilles' heel to the team's hopes of a deep playoff run. Even in the three games in which they scored more than 30 points (Weeks 1 and 6 vs. Indianapolis, Week 7 vs. New Orleans), the Jags had a combined five giveaways. Whether it's the playcalling of offensive coordinator Press Taylor (he's the full-time playcaller this year after calling parts of games last season), execution, turnovers in scoring position or all of the above, there are things that this offense has shown in all games — wins and losses — that are concerning. 

The Jaguars offense has the second-fewest accepted penalties (44) and is just above league average in scoring (15th, 21.8 points per game). Yet it ranks at or near the bottom of the league in most major categories: fumbles (32nd), fumbles lost (31st), fourth-down efficiency (tied for 30th), red-zone efficiency (29th), turnovers (26th), third-down efficiency (25th) and yards per play (tied for 20th). 

"We want to be successful. We want to show the type of offense and the type of players that we have," Lawrence said Wednesday. "I feel like we really haven't this season, minus a game or two or a series or two here and there. 

"I think we all have that confidence in who we can be, but we haven't done it yet. We can't say that's necessarily who we are yet because we haven't done it."

The former No. 1 overall pick, Lawrence hasn't risen to the level many expected in Year 3. He has just nine touchdowns to six interceptions and an 89.3 passer rating in nine games. He has five interceptions when under pressure this season compared to four in 17 games last year, according to Next Gen Stats. And in back-to-back weeks, opposing defenses have insinuated that he can be contained as long as his first read is taken away. 

Here's what 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said last week, via Sports Illustrated: 

"You stop the run and the screens and the RPOs and the quick game and you try to force him to play quarterback, play the position, go through reads."

And this is what Titans edge rusher Arden Key, who played for the Jaguars last year, told reporters Wednesday: 

"If the first read's there, he's throwing it right there, right now. If it's not, you see the kind of hesitation, things of that sort. So we know and realize that we've got to take away the first read so we get to him." 

But with Lawrence's struggles, it's impossible to ignore the offensive-line woes that could be impacting his process. Lawrence has already been sacked 24 times through nine games, compared to 27 times through 17 last year. The Jaguars have a rookie at right tackle in Anton Harrison who has had his share of struggles. They have what Pederson calls a "revolving door" at left guard. 

Pederson also acknowledged that the knee sprain Lawrence suffered in Week 6 against the Colts has limited him and impacted playcalling. The QB has been wearing a brace on his left knee since. Lawrence has said the knee is steadily improving, though he'll be wearing the brace again Sunday vs. the Titans. 

Ultimately, the Jaguars coach said, it comes down to preparation to get the offense playing better.

"What are they doing a little extra?" Pederson said of the team. "Are they studying extra tape? Are they looking at every cutup of a certain route or coverage or defensive front blitz, whatever it might be? Just to stay sharp and stay up on what they could possibly see during a game. 

"It just comes down to the execution. It's plays that we're now recycling because we're so far along that you just recycle plays. It's not anything new that we're trying to invent or create. It just comes down to each person owning that responsibility."

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The team still controls its destiny. Jacksonville is one game behind Kansas City, which currently holds the AFC's No. 1 overall seed. The Jaguars also face division opponents in back-to-back games — first Tennessee (3-6) at home, then Houston (5-4) on the road. 

Winning those two games would go a long way toward giving the Jaguars a stranglehold over the AFC South, holding off C.J. Stroud and the resurgent Texans. 

"There's still no panic," Pederson said Monday. "I think if you panic, you almost wave the white flag a little bit. This is what I want our team to understand: You're still sitting in first place [in the AFC South]. Everything is still right here in front of you. You control it."

The reality is that all the Jags hope to accomplish is in front of them — even if their offense isn't as good as we thought it would be.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.