Style points weren’t plentiful, but it didn’t matter to the Jaguars, who overcame bad third down offense, sub-par special teams and another long touchdown pass allowed to beat the Houston Texans on Sept. 21.
Here are 10 thoughts from the Jaguars’ 17-10 win, which moved them to 2-1 this season:
1. Takeaway trend continues
The Jaguars forced three takeaways for the third consecutive game and entered Monday night’s Detroit-Baltimore game leading the NFL in takeaways and tied for first in differential with Pittsburgh (plus-5).
The Jaguars had nine takeaways in all of 2024, three fewer than any team.
Against Houston, the takeaways were by cornerback Jourdan Lewis (interception), linebacker Devin Lloyd (fumble recovery forced by cornerback Tyson Campbell) and safety Antonio Johnson (interception, quarterback pressure by defensive end Josh Hines-Allen).
The nine takeaways in Games 1-3 are tied for the most in Jaguars history (2005); among the six Jaguars teams with at least eight takeaways in the first three games, five made the playoffs. The most takeaways in team history in any three-game span is 11 (2004).
2. Breaking tackles
The Jaguars rushed for 11 yards (on only six carries) and totaled only 88 yards (on 29 snaps) in the first half. But the opening drive of the second half was a broken tackle carnival.
I counted at least eight broken tackles during the 13-play march that ended with Cam Little’s 39-yard field goal.
Running back Travis Etienne (one broken tackle) ran for 7 yards, running back Bhayshul Tuten gained 6 (one broken tackle), receiver Travis Hunter gained 21 on a catch (one broken tackle), Etienne gained 6 on a catch (two broken tackles) and tight end Brenton Strange gained 13 on a catch (three broken tackles).
3. Pass rush adjustment
After rushing five or more players on 15 of Cincinnati’s 51 drop-backs (29.4%) in Week 2, Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile dialed it back, rushing at least five on nine of quarterback C.J. Stroud’s 44 drop-backs (20.5%).
Against extra rushers, Stroud was 5 of 9 for 29 yards and one interception.
I booked Hines-Allen for 1 1/2 knockdowns and one pressure in addition to his credited half-sack. The Jaguars’ two sacks came in 4.20 (defensive end Travon Walker) and 2.58 seconds (Hines-Allen/defensive tackle Arik Armstead) and both were with four-man rushes.
4. Case of dropsies
Make it 12 charted dropped passes in three games for the Jaguars: Two vs. Carolina, four at Cincinnati and six vs. Houston.
Against the Texans, it was three for receiver Brian Thomas (who now has five this year), two for receiver Parker Washington and one for running back Travis Etienne.
Minus the drops, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was 20 of 34 passing. His downfield game was missing, though — he was 1 of 7 for 16 yards and one interception on attempts at least 16 “air” yards.
5. Defensive personnel
The Jaguars rolled out their base defense — four linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs — more often against Houston, including some snaps against three-receiver personnel.
The Jaguars played a season-high 19 base defense snaps (12 combined in Games 1-2), which meant 21 snaps for linebacker Dennis Gardeck.
On the Texans’ final drive, the Jaguars played all nine snaps in dime personnel (six defensive backs). Replacing the departed Darnell Savage, Johnson played 26 total snaps.
6. Special teams struggles
The Jaguars’ special teams were sub-par.
The errors: Ten players on the field for first punt return until Hunter ran on at last second (who knows if he was the original culprit), a 42-yard punt out of bounds by Logan Cooke to the Texans’ 48, a punt return penalty by Ventrell Miller (block in the back), a 54-yard Cooke punt that was a touchback (34-yard net) and a missed 47-yard field goal by Little.
The plus: Cooke’s 60-yard punt that was downed at the Texans’ 8.
7. Playing in the lead
In three games, the Jaguars have trailed for a total of 18 seconds (the final 18 seconds at Cincinnati).
Against Carolina, they took the lead for good with 8:32 left in the second quarter.
Against Houston, they led from 2:06 of the first quarter until 9:17 of the fourth quarter (Texans tied the game) and for the final 1:48.
Also, Etienne’s 10-yard touchdown run with 1:48 was a walk-in allowed by the Texans’ defense and a part of NFL history. Seven games had a game-winning score in the final three minutes of regulation or overtime tied for the most such games in a single week since 1970 (most recently Week 15 in 2022).
8. Numbers of note
Receiver Dyami Brown’s left shoulder injury forced him out after 23 snaps, creating more playing time for Washington, who had 50 snaps after 17 apiece in Weeks 1-2. … Booked for missed tackles were linebacker Foye Oluokun (two) and one apiece by Hunter and defensive tackle Austin Johnson. … Hunter’s breakdown was 37 offense, 43 defense and three special teams. … Receiver Tim Patrick played 22 snaps after a combined 19 in the first two games. … Campbell (wrist) and safety Eric Murray (shoulder) missed two and seven snaps, respectively. … The Texans rushed at least five players on 10 of Lawrence’s 46 drop-backs (21.7%).
10. Ups & Downs
Ups: Lewis continues to be a terrific free agent addition with four tackles (one for lost yardage), the interception and another pass break-up. … Strange caught six of his seven targets for a team-high 61 yards. … Hunter showed great instincts on his season-best 21-yard catch; he was targeted only twice, which must be addressed. … Hines-Allen was a pass-rushing force and also drew a Texans holding penalty.
Downs: Third down offense — the Jaguars were 4 of 15 and needed an average of 8.3 yards on those attempts. … He later forced a fumble and drew a face-mask penalty, but Campbell was too aggressive when receiver Nico Collins used a half-move to beat him for a 50-yard touchdown catch. … Thomas still merits a down even with the 46-yard catch. … Does anybody notice defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah when he’s on the field? He played 25 snaps Sunday my only note was when he dropped into zone coverage. … The Jaguars had nine enforced penalties, giving them 26 in three games.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars 10 Thoughts: Takeaway trend continues in win over Houston
Reporting by Ryan O’Halloran, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
