How 4th Down Mistakes Cost the Jaguars Against the Rams

Was Liam Coen too aggressive?

The Jacksonville Jaguars turned the ball over on downs two more times after that unfortunate 4th-and-7 near the end of the first half. The next time, it was a 4th-and-2 from the Los Angeles Rams' 30-yard line. After that, it was another 4th-and-7, 27 yards out from the goal line.

The Jaguars actually failed to convert on fourth down another time, but it was on their very last possession with the contest well out of hand. However, between Cam Little's missed field goal and those first three failed conversions, Jacksonville could have been down 21-12 instead of 21-0 had they nailed four kicks instead. Arguably, Head Coach Liam Coen's decisions to go for it and the Jaguars falling short three times in a row was what ultimately killed them.

Understandably, some fans questioned his direction in those spots. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence disagreed, though:

"Yeah, I think the first one was fourth-and-six down there in the red zone. We were down 21, like you said, end of the first half, and we felt like we needed to score a touchdown to — I don't want to say to stay in it — but we needed to score points. At that point, being down three scores, you want to score touchdowns over field goals. Felt like we had decent calls that gave us the shot to get the first down potentially. That was the thought there. Then the second half, obviously, when you're down multiple scores, late third quarter, early fourth quarter, you kind of got to go for those and stay on the field and give yourself a chance."

Obviously, if the Jaguars picked up the first down on those three attempts, this wouldn't be a conversation. Perhaps Liam Coen needs to evaluate these situations a bit differently within the context of his specific team, but Lawrence will never second-guess his coach electing to be aggressive and trusting the offense.