JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Many hoped the improvement under Liam Coen would be a quick turnaround as he was immediately successful in revitalizing the Tampa Bay Bucs’ offense, particularly its run game. Well, it seems that he’s on his way to doing just the same in Jacksonville.
Despite a slow day on offense against the Texans, the unit still ranks eighth in yards per game and fifth in rushing. When things are rolling, the Jags seem nearly impossible to stop (see Bengals game). When things aren’t going so well, it looks as though it is of no fault but their own.
The Jaguars’ offense has been plagued by miscues time and time again. From drops to penalties to miscommunication, it’s been hard to watch at times as the team goes through growing pains.
The Jaguars, unsurprisingly, lead the NFL in drops (13), and even that’s a bit generous. Brian Thomas Jr was only credited with one drop from Pro Football Focus this past Sunday; it could have easily been two or three.
The drops almost seem contagious in Jacksonville. According to Fantasy Points, 25% of Trevor Lawrence’s passes have been dropped in the red zone. It’s no surprise as to why the Jaguars’ QB has only completed seven of his 16 passes inside the 20-yard line.
Similarly, penalties have been a recurring theme on offense. The Jaguars are tied for a league-leading 15 offensive penalties for 107 yards. Illegal shifts have particularly killed the Jaguars. Yet, it’s worth the struggles. This is a much different, much improved offense from a year ago.
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The Jaguars’ downfield passing game is a two-fold problem. While drops have no doubt been an issue, they aren’t the only thing holding back the offense. Trevor Lawrence has completed just 36% (14/39) of his passes 10+ yards downfield.
On deep balls (20+), Lawrence has yet to complete a pass. Historically known to be one of the NFL’s best deep ball throwers, no quarterback has more attempts without a completion this season.
It has to be said that Lawrence isn’t without blame either. According to Fantasy Points, just 62% of Lawrence’s passes 10+ yards downfield have been deemed “catchable,” 22nd in the NFL.
Fixing the drops would no doubt go a long way, but there’s far more to fixing this offense than just the drops. Luckily, it’s only week three, and the Jaguars have already reaped rewards from Liam Coen’s new offense. The unit is much improved, even with a few things still yet to be ironed out.
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