Ravens 23, Jaguars 7: Game Balls

With the AFC wide open–and with the opportunity of snatching the top seed slipping through their fingers–the Jacksonville Jaguars fell to the Baltimore Ravens in discouraging fashion. Now losers of three straight, the Jaguars’ two-game lead within their own division has evaporated; the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts both secured their eighth win on Sunday.

It was a frustrating showing from the Jacksonville offense, who appeared poised for another big game after scoring 24 points or more in their last four. While they had little trouble moving the football–racking up over 300 yards of offense–timely mistakes doomed multiple promising drives.

Two of the team’s five drives in the first half ended with a missed field goal–another ended with a fumble from the Baltimore 23-yard line. The final saw wide receiver Parker Washington stopped short of the endzone as time expired in the second quarter.

While the second half saw quarterback Trevor Lawrence find wideout Jamal Agnew for six, it was much of the same from the offense. The team’s opening drive of the second half went for nearly 90 yards–the next four went for a grand total of 48.

Defensively the Jaguars were no better, and allowed 350 yards for the fourth consecutive game. While managing to limit former MVP Lamar Jackson’s impact they failed to contain the Raven’s potent rushing attack, which averaged six yards per carry and churned out over 250 yards on the ground.

The results from the special teams unit were a mixed bag, as kicker Brandon McManus–currently in the midst of one of the most prolific seasons of his career–missed both his field goal tries in the first half. From there, he failed to garner another opportunity.

With such a multi-faceted loss it's hard to say any one player ‘stood-out.’ As a matter of fact, after a loss like this it’s often easier to identify those who didn’t completely disappoint.

Be prepared to swallow a bit of your pride and take a moment to appreciate the silver lining from Sunday’s crushing loss.

Offense: WR Jamal Agnew

Just as you did on Sunday, get ready to hear Agnew’s name an awful lot. Following one of his finest games as a Jaguar, Agnew will be the recipient of some rightfully deserved praise.

As has been the case for nearly a month now, little went right for the Jaguars offense. However, in spite of the offense’s inability to close out critical drives, Agnew was timely and gave them ample opportunity to get back in the game.

With a 65-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter of Sunday’s dogfight, Agnew accomplished something many on the team could not; he gave the offense a spark. That spark ultimately proved relatively impactful, but Agnew’s ability to change a game was on full display against the Ravens.

As we’ll see later, it was from more positions than one.

For now let’s take a moment to highlight Agnew, who will be asked to step up in the absence of Christian Kirk. With two catches for 70 yards and a score in his first game in nearly two months, Agnew is already well on his way to filling the void.

Defense: S Rayshawn Jenkins

Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins was extremely busy on Sunday, stuffing the box score to the brim. His impact on the field couldn’t give Jacksonville the win, but it more than helped their defense withstand the dynamic Ravens for the better part of the first three quarters.

Against the Ravens, Jenkins recorded a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass deflection, a quarterback hit, and intercepted Lamar Jackson early in the second quarter.

Whew. That’s a lot of plays for one season, let alone one game.

Jenkins plays were timely on the whole, and should’ve been far more impactful than they actually were. His third-and-seven sack resulted in a touchdown for the offense, but his second-quarter interception resulted in a fumble on the ensuing offensive drive.

As it was for a majority of the game; a mixed bag.

Jenkins enjoyed perhaps his finest game donning the teal and black, and we’re likely to see more from the seventh-year veteran as the going gets a bit easier. Jenkins is playing his best football, and the Jaguars upcoming schedule gets extremely light–at least for the defense.

Special Teams: PR/KR Jamal Agnew

Yeah, yeah, yeah. As good as it might feel to argue in favor of another potentially worthy Jaguar, for my money Agnew was by far the best player on the field for Jacksonville. This was evident on both offense and special teams.

Agnew had three opportunities to return kicks. Once at the end of the first quarter, which he brought back 17 yards, another was a 53-yard kickoff he returned 29 yards.

His final return came on the team’s last offensive drive; a booming, 71-yard kick found the hands of Agnew, who brought it back 38 yards to the Jaguar 32-yard line. Though his impressive returns resulted in a missed field goal and zero points, it’s impossible to deny they didn’t impact the game.

It’s yet another week in which forgettable performances from the team’s kicking unit paved the way for a return man to bring home the special teams Game Ball. It’s also another week in which that return man was as deserving as anybody on the field.

Here’s to you Jamal, if anything good came out of this one it’s likely thanks to you. Now let’s burn this tape and turn our attention to Tampa Bay.