After offseason buildup, Jaguars, Urban Meyer open with meltdown

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Urban Meyer expected immoderate jitters from his young team, adjacent a fewer mistakes. After all, Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars were connected the roadworthy with a rookie backmost to commencement the franchise’s latest rebuild.

What Meyer got was person to a meltdown.

The Jaguars looked downright unprepared successful their play opener, a 37-21 nonaccomplishment astatine Houston that wasn’t astir arsenic adjacent arsenic the last people mightiness indicate.

Six dropped passes. Ten penalties. Countless antiaircraft lapses. Several burned timeouts.

“We’ve each got our (butt) kicked before,” Meyer said, insisting his squad volition play amended adjacent Sunday against Denver, which bushed the Giants.

It was Meyer’s archetypal nonaccomplishment successful a play opener arsenic a caput manager – helium had been 17-0 during stops astatine Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State – and the archetypal clip helium mislaid his debut with a caller team.

This 1 volition beryllium remembered for Jacksonville’s self-inflicted issues: 4 holding penalties and 4 pre-snap process penalties. Throw successful Trevor Lawrence’s 3 interceptions and the Jaguars didn’t person a chance.

“It evidently sucks,” Lawrence said. “Losing’s ever hard, particularly erstwhile you consciousness similar you’re prepared and had a large week and truly deliberation we were ready. Just evidently didn’t play well. It starts with me. I played truly bad. Disappointing for sure. …

“We’ve got to ticker it and larn from it, for sure, but past flip the page. It’s a agelong season. We can’t fto this snowball. We’ve got to determination connected and spell triumph adjacent week.”

WHAT’S WORKING

The archetypal three-interception crippled of Trevor Lawrence’s beingness included a fewer agleam spots, and for a floundering franchise that spent 2 decades searching for a quarterback, that’s a positive. Lawrence’s archetypal touchdown walk came connected a cleanable work and propulsion down the seam to choky extremity Chris Manhertz. Lawrence aboriginal threw a 41-yard onslaught down the sideline to DJ Chark for a score. The No. 1 wide prime ended up completing 28 of 51 passes for 332 yards successful his NFL debut, with 3 TDs and 3 picks. It wasn’t great, but the Jaguars consciousness similar it’s thing they tin physique connected going forward.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Jacksonville’s revamped defence looked astir the aforesaid arsenic past year’s season-long debacle. The Jags gave up 449 yards, generated small walk unreserved (one sack) and couldn’t get disconnected the tract connected 3rd downs (Texans converted 57%). The show astir apt should person been expected considering Meyer utilized 3 of his archetypal 4 draught picks connected violative players and took a “value” attack successful escaped bureau that yielded respective second-tier starters, including cornerback Shaquill Griffin, information Rayshawn Jenkins, linebacker Damien Wilson and antiaircraft lineman Roy Robertson-Harris. Meyer besides went with first-time NFL antiaircraft coordinator Joe Cullen. The portion could get better, but it seems improbable to go a star-studded radical susceptible of winning galore games.

STOCK UP

Tight extremity James O’Shaughnessy had a career-high six receptions for 48 yards. He didn’t bash thing flashy, but the seventh-year pro was dependable astatine a presumption that appeared to beryllium a anemic spot heading into the season.

STOCK DOWN

Chark dropped 2 passes and was flagged for amerciable formation, hardly an perfect commencement for a feline entering the last twelvemonth of his rookie contract. Chark caught 3 passes for 86 yards, including a 41-yard people precocious successful the 3rd 4th of a lopsided game. But helium was targeted a team-high 12 times. In fairness, it was Chark’s archetypal unrecorded enactment since breaking a digit aboriginal successful grooming campy and requiring surgery.

INJURIES

Cornerback Tre Herndon (knee) was ruled retired aboriginal past week and apt volition miss different game. His lack forced the Jags to spell with second-year pro CJ Henderson successful the starting lineup and rookie Tyson Campbell arsenic their nickel cornerback.

KEY NUMBER

365

Number of days since Jacksonville’s past win. The Jaguars opened the 2020 play with a location triumph against Indianapolis and past dropped 15 successful a row. The franchise-record skid present stands astatine 16 heading into the Week 2 crippled against Denver.

NEXT STEPS

Find immoderate violative individuality and balance. Meyer said repeatedly implicit the past 8 months that helium wants to beryllium capable to tally the ball, but Jacksonville hardly tried successful Houston. James Robinson carried conscionable 4 times for 22 yards successful the archetypal fractional arsenic Jacksonville opened 5 of six drives with passes.