JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There was plenty going against the Jacksonville Jaguars entering Week 6; enough that perhaps their setback against the Seattle Seahawks should have been expected.
Center Robert Hainsey never looked like he would play in the game, leading to rookie center Jonah Monheim taking over at center against the best defensive front the Jaguars have played this season.
Add in the fact the Jaguars' near-entire offensive line was on the injury report on a short week, and the Jaguars' line was always in danger. Danger came in the form of a suffocating Seahawks' pass-rush that sacked Trevor Lawrence a career-high seven times despite having amongst the lowest blitz rates of any defense.
As a result of the poor performance, the Jaguars' offensive line has tumbled in Pro Football Focus' offensive line rankings. After a strong start to the season, the offensive line fell six spots in this week's rankings and are now at No. 15.
"Following promising performances over the past few weeks, Jacksonville’s offensive line faltered in a loss to the Seahawks. The group allowed 24 pressures — including six sacks — on 51 passing attempts in Week 6. That led to a 70.6 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, the second-worst mark in the league this week. Left tackle Walker Little had a game to forget, surrendering four sacks — the most of all offensive linemen this week — and six pressures overall," PFF said.
“I think those guys are—I talked to Anton [OL Anton Harrison], talked to some of those guys. They're very eager, I think for the challenge to step up. Each week you face an opportunity in this league upfront to see some of the best pass rushers and whether it's individuals, whether it's a crew of them, whether it's scheme, we've seen some good stuff," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Wednesday.
"And so, we've protected at a high level in a lot of ways. Last week was a tough go. So, they know, we all know. It takes truly not just those guys up front. We've got to help them and have a responsibility as coaches, but also, hey, stepping up to the plate and worrying about us. Let's go get better at our sets. The way that we slide in pass protection, the way that we protect our fundamentals, our techniques, and worry about those things and not so much the guys that we're playing against.”
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