Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard heads off the field after a defensive stop during the fourth quarter of a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on November 10, 2024 at 6:25 pm
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Playing without Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars struggled offensively in a 12-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday to fall to 2-8 on the season.
Jacksonville was outgained 402-143 yards, and Minnesota dominated time of possession, holding the ball for over 42 minutes.
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Any thought that Lawrence was the cause of the Jaguars’ offensive struggles should be put to bed. The issues on offense were varied and many.
The Jaguars opened the game looking like a different team, and not just because of the white helmets worn for the first time in franchise history. With Mac Jones at quarterback, the Jaguars took a 7-3 lead, their first first-quarter touchdown since Sept. 29. Jones finished the quarter six of nine passing for 59 yards and with a touchdown run.
The Jaguars also forced a first-quarter turnover on a Foye Oluokun interception of a pass deflected by Tyson Campbell, although the Jaguars did not capitalize on the play.
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In the second quarter, The Jaguars withstood an 18-play Vikings’ drive that was stopped by a Montaric “Buster” Brown interception in the endzone, preserving the Jaguars’ lead. It marked the first time this season the Jaguars had forced multiple turnovers in a game.
Still, rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was not involved in the offense in the first half. The Jaguars’ most dangerous pass catcher did not have a ball thrown his way in the opening 30 minutes.
The Jaguars’ defense continued the takeaway trend on the first drive of the second half, when Darnell Savage picked off Darnold for the third turnover of the game.
On the following Minnesota possession, Ronald Darby picked off another Darnold pass, but the play was called back on a hands-to-the-face penalty on the Jaguars.
The Jaguars forced a third field goal attempt by the Vikings as Minnesota took a 9-7 lead. That’s when things reverted to form. On the second snap of the ensuing possession, the Jaguars fumbled the snap, and the Vikings recovered.
That led to another Romo field goal to stretch the lead to 12-7.
With just over four minutes to play, Thomas finally caught his first pass, a 2-yard gain. On the next play, Jones was intercepted by Minnesota cornerback Byron Murphy and with it, the Jaguars’ chances to win were dashed.
For good measure, Minnesota’s Camryn Bynum intercepted a pass to the endzone with 1:49 to play.
The defensive performance was the best of the season for the Jaguars and their embattled defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Still, the Jaguars lost their fifth straight game with a trip to Detroit to face one of the NFC’s best teams, the Lions, coming up next.
The Jaguars are a deeply flawed team dealing with injuries, poor play, and questionable coaching decisions. With seven games remaining, the question is what Shad Khan will do in reaction to this failure of a season.
Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He is currently broadcast director for Sporting Club Jacksonville and has called play-by-play for a number of teams, including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks and The Bolles School football. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.
