The Jacksonville Jaguars entered this last Sunday with the biggest chip on their shoulder that I've seen as a fan in a long time. This season has long felt different, though it's not the first time Jacksonville has contended in nearly all its games. Last year, they notoriously lost a record-setting 10 one-score games last year.
This year, they've won more of those games than they've lost, and they never looked defeated, even in the ones they did lose. Week 10 in Houston, however, felt a lot like the "same old Jags," with a complete meltdown in the fourth quarter. As the Texans scored on drive after drive, it simply felt inevitable that the Jags would lose. That's not a feeling I've had as a fan this year, so when Jacksonville hosted the Los Angeles Chargers this last Sunday, I didn't relax until the final whistle.
But boy, did they bounce back. The Jaguars dominated the game on every front. With this in mind, here are three crucial stats that defined the victory.
First Jaguars head-turning stat: Zero punts
So I'm going to give you a little peek behind the curtain here at black and teal: The "three" in the article's title is a bit arbitrary. The truth is, I could have dropped a dozen or so stats that defined the win—that's how dominant the victory was.
Offensively, I've decided to lump them all together here, because the Jaguars' offense was clicking this last Sunday: Punter Logan Cooke took the day off, as they didn't punt the ball a single time, the first time he can say that in his nine-year NFL career.
Most of that offensive success was a direct result of the offensive line's return to form, dominating the run game with 192 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Rookie Bhayshul Tuten had a breakout game, rushing for 74 yards and a touchdown. To top it off, Lawrence wasn't sacked a single time. In the post-game interview, Lawrence praised the big guys up front.
"They played awesome," he said (0:05 mark). "The consistency in the run game, how we were able to keep drives going because we could run the ball...Obviously, Cole Van Lanen stepping up big time with [starting right tackle] Anton [Harrison] out. I mean, it's just guys ready to play...Cole played left guard last week and started at right tackle today. That's impressive. I don't know how many people, including myself, know how hard that is to do."
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Second Jaguars head-turning stat: The Chargers totaled 135 yards
Just as with the offense, this single stat is a microcosm of the dominant defensive performance that the Jaguars put on display in their 35-6 victory over the Chargers. When their quarterback, Justin Herbert, is the Chargers' rushing leader with 21 scramble yards, that's probably a good sign for the Jacksonville defense. Outside of scrambling quarterbacks, the defense held the Chargers to 20 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Through the air, Herbert managed just 81 yards and an interception, while backup Trey Lance threw for 37 yards. The Jaguars' defensive front got to them three times, not to mention two quarterback hits and 11 hurries. This led to the Jaguars outgaining the Chargers 345-135, winning the first-down battle 30-8, and owning time of possession 37:55 to 22:05.
Third Jaguars head-turning stat: One penalty for five yards
After committing nine penalties for 90 yards last week in their loss to Houston, the Jaguars only had a single penalty for five yards this week.
With BJ Green II's undeserved roughing-the-passer call offset by a Chargers penalty, the final stat line shows a stellar uptick in efficiency and discipline on both sides of the ball. It's not surprising that the Jaguars win their clean games.
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Final thoughts
This kind of complete victory isn't necessarily sustainable in the NFL, though it should be a sign to fans that we're no longer dealing with the "same old Jags." Yes, they gave up a 19-point lead last week that could have defined their season, but the team came out and dominated a talented Chargers team in all three phases, showing resilience and buy-in for their coach.
It's going to be a great rest of the season.