JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars have struggled and struggled mightily to start games. It’s been a known problem, however, it’s something that has failed to be fixed despite continuous difficulties to score early and play with a lead.
According to Warren Sharp, the Jaguars have scored just 14 opening drive touchdowns over the course of the last six seasons (100 Games), tied for 30th in the NFL over the span. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers are worse (10).
>>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<<
To put that into perspective, Liam Coen’s Tampa Bay Bucs scored EIGHT just last season, over half the Jaguars total across six seasons. It’s to no surprise the Bucs led the NFL in success on opening drives, ranking first in EPA/Play, yards, TDs, and points last season.
The Jaguars scored just 54 first quarter points, averaging just 3.2 points per first quarter. It caused the Jaguars to play from behind nearly every game, especially with the defense allowing 217 points in first halves last season.
Across 2024, the Jaguars scored 54 points in the first, 92 points in the second, 74 in the third quarter, and 100 in the fourth, however, much of that can be attributed to playing from behind so often in the final period.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
The Jaguars’ offense seems to finally get rolling late in the second quarter and into the third quarter. Surprisingly, the Jaguars only had a -6 points margin in the third quarter last season, by far their best period.
Much about that opening drive success is dependent on the play caller as it’s often far more scripted than most other drives. Somehow, some way, the Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr, despite having 1,282 yards on the season, didn’t even collect 100 receiving yards in the first quarter last season. He mustered just 12 receptions for 93 yards.
That’s something that simply has to improve next season. Get the ball into your playmakers’ hands and let them work their magic, especially with Brian Thomas Jr and now Travis Hunter at your disposal.
With Liam Coen at the helm, a proven mastermind at scoring early and often in games, the Jaguars should be in much better shape with far more opportunities to play with leads in games.
The inability to score on opening drives and in the first quarter stops now.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live.
