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Dede Westbrook Jerseys 2019 , down. Good, bad. inconsistency has become as much a part of the team’s identity as defensive proficiency under coach Doug Marrone. It’s Jacksonville’s biggest downfall and a main reason why many outsiders refuse to consider the Jaguars (2-1) a legitimate title contender in 2018.They reached another low Sunday, failing to score an offensive touchdown for the second time in two years, advancing past midfield just twice and losing 9-6 to AFC South rival Tennessee .Dropped passes, batted balls and penalties were part of the problem. So was Blake Bortles, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 155 yards and was sacked three times.The lackluster performance came one week after Jacksonville looked unbelievably smooth in a 31-20 victory against New England , a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game.More Jacksonville Jaguars newsJets’ Darnold throws 3 more picks in 29-15 loss at JaguarsRams get CB Jalen Ramsey from Jaguars for 3 draft picksBridgewater now 4-0 as starter after Saints top Jaguars 13-6Jaguars once elite defense struggles as Gardner Minshew, DJ Chark build chemistryLeonard Fournette runs for career-high as Jaguars mount comeback to beat Broncos“Is it head-scratching? Yeah, of course,” Marrone said. “Obviously, it’s not what you expect. … It’s not like it’s one thing or one set. It was a combination of really not playing well at all.”The Jaguars will try to bounce back against the New York Jets (1-2) on Sunday, wrapping up a three-game homestand.“We’ve got to find out and figure out how we’re going to handle it as a team,” Bortles said.Getting running back Leonard Fournette back would help. Fournette missed his second consecutive game with a strained right hamstring. He tweaked it in the season opener at the New York Giants and has missed 10 of 12 quarters.Fournette is the team’s offensive centerpiece, a pounding runner who sets the tone for Marrone’s throwback style. The Jags managed to beat the Giants and Patriots without him, but needed a defensive touchdown to upend New York and the best game of Bortles’ five-year career to knock off New England.They never led against the Titans, falling behind after a failed fake punt early and giving up a game-winning drive late.“It definitely feels like a letdown,” Bortles said. “I don’t think there was anything carried over from last week or the previous two weeks. We try to treat it like a new start
Black Dawuane Smoot Jerseys , a fresh start. … Kind of came out and offensively laid a goose egg. Score six points in four quarters is hard to do.”It was the franchise’s fewest points since a 30-6 loss to Houston in the 2015 season finale and its fewest at home since a 37-3 drubbing by Indianapolis in 2013.The Jaguars blamed the latest dud on matchup issues against the equally physical Titans, who have won three in a row and five of the last six in the series. But they also struggled to generate many yards and points against the Jets, Cleveland, Arizona and Buffalo in 2017 and against the Giants two weeks ago.“Very frustrating, but we’re not going to blame people,” Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey said.Not yet anyway. But in a season several players have dubbed Super Bowl-or-bust and with a defense that considers itself the best in the league , Jacksonville has potential for back-biting and finger-pointing.The Jaguars insist that won’t happen. Several defenders even spoke in the locker room after the loss and showed support for Bortles and the offense.“I’m confident this team will respond,” defensive end Calais Campbell said. “Losses suck. They always have; they always will. This one stings a little bit because it’s a division game at home. At the end of the day, it’s just one loss, and how we respond is really what it comes down to. I’m very confident this team will respond.” The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t expect left tackle Cam Robinson and receiver Marqise Lee to be ready for the season opener.Coach Doug Marrone provided an update on the two starters Saturday, saying “we just can’t get them over the hump.”“We’ve got to go and start preparing to play without them, unfortunately,” Marrone added. “It could change, obviously, but it’d be tough.”Robinson, a second-round draft pick in 2017, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last September — during a Week 2 win against New England. Lee
Dawuane Smoot Jerseys 2019 , who led the team in receptions in 2017, tore several ligaments in his left knee when Atlanta cornerback Damontae Kazee delivered a helmet-first hit to his knee in a preseason game last August.Neither has practiced in training camp, and both remain on the physically unable to perform list.Robinson’s absence is seemingly more problematic considering the Jaguars have few viable options behind him. Josh Wells is expected to move into the starting spot, but he’s missed more games (41) than he’s played in (39) during five seasons. Cedric Ogbuehi, a first-round draft pick by Cincinnati in 2015, also could get a shot.“We’ll find out,” Marrone said. “Someone will be out there, I can tell you that.”More Jacksonville Jaguars newsJets’ Darnold throws 3 more picks in 29-15 loss at JaguarsRams get CB Jalen Ramsey from Jaguars for 3 draft picksBridgewater now 4-0 as starter after Saints top Jaguars 13-6Jaguars once elite defense struggles as Gardner Minshew, DJ Chark build chemistryLeonard Fournette runs for career-high as Jaguars mount comeback to beat BroncosAdding to Jacksonville’s injuries woes, the team had another dozen players sitting out practice Saturday because of various injuries. It’s not the result Marrone wanted when he lightened the workload in camp.“Bad luck, I guess,” Marrone said. “You don’t always get utopia, the way you want to practice in a perfect world. You’ve got to make changes and do things. I made a ton of them. It seems like it’s not working so far.”Players have been on the field nearly two hours earlier than they were in 2018, avoiding the hottest part of the day and afternoon thunderstorms. They get 90 minutes after practice for lunch and visits with family and friends. They have recovery time built into the schedule, too, allowing players to get cryotherapy, cupping
Black Cam Robinson Jerseys , dry needling or other therapeutic care after lunch.They leave the facility in the afternoon and hold meetings at a nearby hotel, providing players with a brief break to travel between venues and allowing them to go straight to their rooms once the nightly sessions end.Marrone’s about-face began when team owner Shad Khan asked how he planned to reduce the number of injuries following last year’s 5-11 debacle, which included a number of starters on injured reserve — and began in the preseason.Marrone started digging into research and talking to experts. He learned that an unusually high number of soft-tissue injuries occur during the first 10 days of camp, while players are still getting acclimated to the heat and tempo. So he opted to take it slow and easy.Even after the changes, the Jaguars have at least six players sitting out practices because of soft-tissues injuries. They include cornerback A.J. Bouye, rookie tight end Josh Oliver (hamstring), receiver Terrell Pryor (hamstring), guard Andrew Norwell (quadriceps) and running back Benny Cunningham (hamstring).Marrone rested 31 players in the preseason opener at Baltimore and is expected to do the same this Thursday night against Philadelphia.“We’re trying to get guys to the season and ready to go,” Marrone said. “That’s why practices are the way they are and that’s why we’re playing the way we are. Is it something that we’d like to do, myself personally? Absolutely not. That’s not been my background.“I’ve changed, obviously, the philosophy of what I’ve had in the preseason, and I’ve had to do it. It was something that was kind of forced with the injuries and everything that happened.”
