Jaguars still learning how to finish; Titans need WR help: AFC South takeaways

Through BenArthur
FOX Sports AFC South Writer

I’m not convinced the Jacksonville Jaguars are a bad team. That they are the “same old Jags”. But it’s obvious now that they’re not the fast-rising team they appeared to be just three weeks ago, winning 20+ points in a row.

In fact, these Jaguars (2-4) – now on a three-game losing streak – don’t know how to finish.

It’s not just that they lose. It is that they do this in different ways.

“We just have to find a time, a place, a game where we can win those games,” said coach Doug Pederson on Sunday.

In Week 4, en route to the Philadelphia Eagles, it was quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s five giveaways that defeated the Jaguars. The following week, back at home against division rivals the Houston Texans, the biggest problem was the Jaguars’ failure in the red. Against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, it was their defense — one of the best in the league in the first five weeks of the season — that fell short in a 34-27 loss.

Three of Jacksonville’s four penalties against Indianapolis came from defense. Each of the three triggered touchdown drives: cornerback Shaquill Griffin’s defensive pass interference in the second quarter (a subsequent holding call pushed the Colts back, but Griffin’s foul still gave them a new set of downs in the red zone), rookie outside linebacker Travon Walker needlessly A roughness penalty in the third quarter and a second DPI from Griffin in the fourth quarter that gave the Colts their first lead, 26-21 by 12:52.

The defensive mistakes ruined a strong offensive effort that wasn’t perfect but gave Jacksonville chances to end the game.

The Jaguars went out to a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter with a dominant rushing attack. They also put together an impressive 18-play drive that started at 10:08 a.m. in the fourth quarter, right after the Colts took their first lead of the game.

In the NFL, 27 points is usually enough to win — especially for the Jaguars given how their defense played in the first five games.

“I just feel like we shot each other in the foot every time we were close to going third,” Griffin said of the loss. “Those are the things you can’t get back and it’s tough. The referees made some really tough decisions and it was hard to recover from that. That’s the part where we have to do better. What whatever we made mistakes or whatever the punishment was, we can’t let that happen, it was on us.

On Friday, Pederson said this is the time of year when teams figure out their identities. The sample size is large enough, he stressed. It’s mid-October. The pre-season and the first month of the year are on the books.

That’s why the picture of Jacksonville emerges: The Jaguars are a young, talented team who are not ready to assert themselves seriously.

“Ultimately we have to go and win these games and we know that,” Lawrence said.

Titans should act for a recipient

In five games it’s become apparent that the division-leading Titans (3-2) need help with the wideout. And that’s not just because first-round pick Treylon Burks will miss at least three more games on injured reserve with turf toe.

Because no help is coming. Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday there is “no chance” second-year wide receiver Racey McMath, who has been on injured reserve since the start of the season, can play against the Colts this week. After a strong summer, McMath was poised to be a vertical threat on Tennessee’s offense.

The Titans just don’t have the pass-catching staff to scare secondary players. Without Burks, they don’t have a receiver in the top 50 in the NFL in average separation or yards after catch/per reception, or in the top 70 in catch percentage, according to Next Gen Stats. Among players on the active roster, veteran receiver Robert Woods leads the Titans in all three categories – tied 57th in the league in average separation (3 yards from closest defender at time of catch or incomplete), 66th in YAC/ Reception (4.2) and 77th in catch percentage (67.1) per NGS.

Woods has been a very good receiver in his career and has been effective for the Titans so far – he has a team-leading 204 receiving yards – but having him behind as your top pick without much depth is a problem. Fifth-round rookie Kyle Philips, a star of the summer, has not been a factor since returning from a shoulder injury sustained in the season opener. After posting six receptions for 66 yards on his debut, he has since had two catches for 12 yards.

Tennessee actually ranks 14th in the top half of the NFL in passing yards per game. But excluding the running backs and burks, receivers and tight ends combined accounted for less than 61% of the team’s receiving yards.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Titans seek a deal for a receiver before the Nov. 1 deadline. Outside help would make it harder for teams to rely on superstar running back Derrick Henry, who has seen eight or more defenders in the box on 27.8% of his snaps, the ninth-highest in the league, according to NGS.

Don’t sleep on Texans WR NicoCollins

Rookie running back Dameon Pierce is quickly becoming the talk of the town for the Texans (1-3-1), and veteran Brandin Cooks is the receiver space leader. But sophomore Nico Collins is rising fast.

In five games, the 2021 third-round pick has team-leading 272 yards, well above the 446 yards he had in 14 games he had as a rookie. The 6-foot-4 Collins had at least 65 yards in consecutive games. His performance against the Jaguars in Week 5 (four catches for 65 yards) was highlighted by an incredible grab in the fourth quarter: Mossing cornerback Tyson Campbell on a subdued ball on the touchline.

The Texans have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, but it’s not without talent. Collins’ emergence helps improve a unit that learns to lean on Pierce, giving it a run-pass balance. Houston has a rising star running back paired with two reliable receivers for quarterback Davis Mills in Collins and Cooks. You can build on that.

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

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