The Jacksonville Jaguars improved to 10-4 on the season with a win over the New York Jets in Week 15 on Sunday.
It was the Jaguars’ fifth straight victory and they remain atop the AFC South.
advertise
As the dust settles on Sunday’s game, let’s focus on the good, the bad and the ugly in the Jaguars’ performance.
Benefits of Jaguars win
Trevor Lawrence: Lawrence continues to outdo himself every week these days. Lawrence was efficient against the Jets. He takes care of the football and creates explosive plays in the air. He pitches with rhythm and you can see his comfort level in Liam Cohen’s offense is at an all-time high. Lawrence is playing really well right now.
Make the most of your scoring opportunities: Moving the ball is great, but do those possessions translate into points? The Jaguars did a great job of that, scoring touchdowns on four of their six drives in the red zone.
advertise
Turn bullet points into bullet points: A turnover downfield is no different than an interception or a fumble. After getting a fourth down on the Jets’ first offensive possession of the game, the Jacksonville offense took advantage of the field position and scored a touchdown. The Jaguars’ offense scored seven more points before halftime on Montalik Brown’s interception.
The Jaguars defense made the difference: Jacksonville controlled the Jets offense almost all day. New York’s offense didn’t break the 200-yard mark until the fourth quarter, averaging just over 4.0 yards per game on the day. Jacksonville forced three takeaways and two fourth-down stops. Jacksonville’s offense helped the Jaguars defense take a multi-score lead, forcing the Jets to become pass-focused as the game wore on. This is one of the best examples of complementary football.
Jaguars pass protection: The offensive line once again excelled in the passing game. Lawrence was barely affected at all, and according to PFF’s early tracking data, he was pressured on 20 percent of his dropbacks — which is nothing.
The downside of a Jaguars win
Jaguars third down defense: The Jets offense converted 8 of 15 on third downs. For some context, heading into Week 15, the Packers lead the NFL in third-down success rate at 50.6 percent. The Jets did a good job of maintaining their lead in this situation, helping them create some manageable distance. However, the success on third down did not translate into many points.
advertise
Jaguars rushing attack: The overall numbers are good, but that’s largely a result of Lawrence leading the team in rushing and averaging 10.2 yards per carry. It’s been a tough sled for the Jaguars. Liam Cohen said earlier this week that there’s still some meat left on the bones in the run game. I guess that’s still true.
The ugliness of Jaguars win
The Jaguars controlled this game from start to finish and held a nearly 50-point lead over the other NFL team. As always, there will be some things to clean up, but I wouldn’t put anything in the “ugly” category today.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars vs. Jets: The good, the bad and the ugly from Week 15