Jaguars look clawless and clueless on opening drives, mustering just 3 points in 9 games

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — At the very least, the Jacksonville Jaguars need to scrap the script.

It’s clearly not working considering the Jaguars (2-7) have managed just a field goal in nine game-opening drives. They have seven punts, a turnover on downs and a measly three-pointer from plays planned and supposedly practiced to perfection.

Jacksonville’s feeble starts reached a new low in a 28-23 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday. The offense mustered 31 yards in 18 plays in the first half and trailed 16-0 at the break. It would have been worse had Eagles coach Nick Sirianni not passed on points twice.

Regardless, it’s a season-long trend the clawless and often clueless Jags need to mend before hosting Minnesota (6-2) on Sunday.

They have trailed by double digits in each of their last four games, falling behind Green Bay, New England and Chicago before Sunday’s sluggishness against the Eagles. Much like they rallied in Philly, they came back to tie the Packers late and even beat the Patriots.

But coach Doug Pederson and coordinator Press Taylor have to at least imagine how much smoother games would go if they weren’t always trying to dig out of holes. It’s essentially become as much of their identity as quarterback Trevor Lawrence leading a second-half surge.

“I’m going to keep working," Pederson said. "I’m going to keep challenging players, and we have to get better. It is what it is, obviously. But we’re going to roll up our sleeves and go to work and try to keep it moving and try to fix it already.

“Let me think. First down, second down, third down. I guess we just need to coach better.”

Nixing the script would be a start.

“We’ll look at everything, and it’s been an issue, so it’s something we have to fix,” Lawrence said. “Obviously we gave ourselves a chance to come back and win the game, but we had to have a lot of plays go our way. … We shouldn’t have to do that every week.

“How do we start better? How do we just move the ball, get in a rhythm?”

What’s working

The Jaguars defended Philadelphia’s “Brotherly Shove” as well as anyone. They stuffed Jalen Hurts twice on quarterback sneaks during 2-point conversions. Those stops, three sacks and two fourth-down stands were the few bright spots for a unit that allowed a season-high 447 yards, including 237 rushing, and fell to 31st in the league in total defense and last in yards per play.

What needs help

Jacksonville’s defense continues to get burned by big plays. All four of Philadelphia’s touchdowns were from at least 18 yards out, including ones on third-and-17 and third-and-22. The Eagles also had pass plays of 46 and 36 yards in the second half to set up scores.

The Jags have allowed 16 plays of 30 or more yards under first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, with 12 of those coming in second halves and eight in fourth quarters.

Stock up

Defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker were fairly dominant in a losing effort. Hines-Allen had two sacks to raise his season total to five, and Walker finished with seven tackles, including two for a loss, and returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter that gave the Jags hope.

Stock down

Running back Travis Etienne bobbled a pass that led to an interception in his first game in three weeks. Etienne touched the ball once in the second half and was on the bench when Lawrence threw to third-string back D’Ernest Johnson in the end zone on the team’s final play, another pick.

Injuries

Second-year guard Cooper Hodges broke his right leg and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. It’s the second consecutive year Hodges has endured a significant leg injury; he dislocated his right kneecap during a preseason game in 2023.

Key number

9 — Number of NFL teams with just two wins. The Jaguars currently hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft.

Next steps

With 12 losses in Jacksonville's last 15 games, team owner Shad Khan needs to consider changes. It could be Nielsen, Pederson, general manager Trent Baalke or the sort of house-cleaning Khan prefers to avoid.