Browns 31, Jaguars 27: 5 Observations

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on a losing streak for the first time since September, losing 31-27 to the Cleveland Browns in a sloppy and mistake-filled affair on Sunday.

“Yeah, I think offensively we were a little disconnected. Trevor (Lawrence) and the receivers were a little off," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game. 

"We had opportunities to make plays in the first half and didn’t. Obviously, the turnovers are big and you can’t do that. We had a little success early running the football with some of the things we did to keep them off balance, but just overall just not enough plays made. Too many self-inflicted wounds that kept us from sustaining drives or staying on the field.”

So, what did we see in the Jaguars' loss? We break it down below. 

The offense offered no easy answers 

Perhaps the expectations should have always been low for the offense this week considering the injuries along the offensive line and to Christian Kirk and Trevor Lawrence. But after three weeks of explosive and efficient offense, the Jaguars had to rely on two fourth-quarter touchdowns to even keep pace with Joe Flacco and the Browns' offense on Sunday. 

There were simply far too many self-inflicted wounds from the offense. Lawrence had his fair share of misses, but he was also let down by Calvin Ridley (four receptions for 53 yards on 13 targets) and Zay Jones (five receptions for 29 yards on 14 targets) on numerous occasions, especially in high-leverage situations. The Jaguars couldn't get easy yards at any point in the game when they needed to, and it made the offense look that much worse.

The defense is reeling entering a critical stretch 

The Jaguars' defense has been battered over the last two weeks. They have allowed 65 points in that span and have made things look far too easy far too often for backup quarterbacks Jake Browning and Joe Flacco. They can't be blamed solely for the loss, especially because the Jaguars' turnovers put them in bad spots. But for the second week in a row, the once-strong unit looked average at best and not good enough at worst.

One of the most concerning things has been the disappearance of the Jaguars' pass-rush. The Jaguars have just nine quarterback hits over the last two weeks, with only three on Sunday. By comparison, their opponents have recorded 19 in that span. The Jaguars failed to make Joe Flacco feel uncomfortable really all game long, and it showed whenever the Jaguars really needed a spot.

Doug Pederson's late decisions to go for it will likely steer conversations

The Jaguars' veteran head coach made two decisions in the fourth quarter that will likely be conversation starters over the next few days. Doug Pederson has been aggressive his entire coaching career, and it has paid off in big ways for the Jaguars in the past. But when it doesn't work, it is only natural that attention will be drawn to the process and overall aggressiveness. 

The first decision came with 3:34 left in the game. With the Jaguars facing 4th-and-3 and holding three timeouts, the Jaguars opted to call a timeout and then attempt a fourth-down conversion from their own 38. Lawrence's pass attempt to Zay Jones fell incomplete, and Dustin Hopkins hit a 55-yard field goal as a result, giving the Browns a 10-point lead with just over three minutes remaining. 

The second decision was a decision to go for a two-point conversion with 1:37 left after Lawrence completed a two-yard touchdown to Evan Engram. This was the second time the Jaguars' offense stayed on the field after a touchdown; the first was a delay of game when the Jaguars scored with 8:57 left to go down 28-20. Due to the penalty, the Jaguars kicked. This time, the Jaguars stuck with the two-point call and it ended in a Myles Garrett sack.

The first decision by Pederson was the most impactful. The Jaguars had stopped the Browns at times on Sunday, but perhaps not enough for Pederson to trust the unit to get the ball back. Each of the scoring drives from the Browns in the second-half came off turnovers, so it is at least fair to wonder what if the defense had been given a chance? 

As for the second decision, it didn't really matter much. The Jaguars still had to get the onside kick either way to have a chance to be in the game. If they had gotten the kick, then it would have been easier for the Jaguars to send the game into overtime with a point-after attempt, but it was clear the Jaguars were instead playing for the win 

Offensive line injuries have reached crisis-level

The Jacksonville Jaguars have used countless offensive line groupings up until Week 14. They simply haven't been able to keep one group of five on the field together for longer than a few weeks at a time, and Sunday saw the unit take another hit when Ezra Cleveland left in the first-half with a knee injury. Cleveland was replaced by Blake Hance, who is officially the fourth player to take extensive snaps at left tackle for the Jaguars this season.

With Cleveland banged up, the Jaguars now have injuries to Cam Robinson (knee), Walker Little (hamstring), and now Cleveland, who has been one of their top depth options at both guard and tackle. Trevor Lawrence was hit over 10 times on Sunday and took a beating against a good Cleveland front, and that won't change next week vs. the Baltimore Ravens. It is officially panic time along the offensive line.

Jaguars got lucky with the rest of the AFC South taking losses

The only positive thing to go the Jaguars' way this afternoon was the fact that the rest of the AFC South got punched in the mouth too. The Jaguars entered Sunday with just a one-game lead over both the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts, but each suffered heavy road losses vs. the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Perhaps the biggest news in the AFC South is the status of Texans rookie phenom C.J. Stroud, who left Sunday's game in the second-half with a concussion after his head hit the ground. Stroud was replaced by Davis Mills and there is no telling what this could mean for Houston and their efforts to overtake the Jaguars over the final month of the season.

The Jaguars have left the door to the AFC South wide open over the last two weeks. So far, the Texans and Colts haven't taken full advantage of it, and there are enough questions after Sunday to wonder if either can. That doesn't mean the Jaguars are in a good position to feel confident moving forward, but they at least got some help in terms of jockeying for playoff position.