As a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars, I often push back against the talking heads in the never-ending cycle of NFL Power Rankings or the ever-fickle "grades" after a game. After all, these are usually from analysts who try to cover the entire league rather than narrowing their focus on a single team, and with Jacksonville being such a small market, they're often overlooked or downright disrespected (though, to be fair, they've earned a bit of that disrespect over the years).
However, after a rather head-scratching yet resilient win over the Arizona Cardinals (3-8), it seems the analysts around the league hit the nail on the head this week with their thoughts on the Jags (7-4). They've entered Week 12 coming off a dominant performance over the Los Angeles Chargers. They've been in the playoff hunt all year long—though, at times, they didn't quite look like it.
Still, Jacksonville notched five victories this year over teams above .500: the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers. Even with these wins, their season has been somewhat topsy-turvy, with some excellent performances and some not-so-excellent ones.
CBS Sports grades Jaguars performance a more-than-fair "B-"
John Breech from CBS Sports, in his weekly round-up of the games around the league, gave the Jaguars a well-deserved and more-than-fair "B-" for their performance in a 27-24 overtime victory in Arizona. Breech rightly highlighted the Jaguars' resilience in a game that should have been more one-sided.
"The Jaguars (7-4) showed some serious resilience by winning a game that it looked like they were going to choke away," he writes. "Trevor Lawrence turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions in the second half, but the Jags defense saved things by making several key stops."
Breech continued, "Devin Lloyd and Dennis Gardeck had Jacoby Brissett running for his life on a day where the Jags racked up six sacks. It was a surprising performance from a team that had the second-fewest sacks in the NFL (15) heading into Week 12."
While Breech comments on the defense's performance, overcoming four turnovers and zero takeaways, he also points out that the offense did just enough to win.
"Offensively, Jakobi Meyers, who was in just his third game with the team, has quickly become one of Lawrence's favorite targets. Meyers (50 yards receiving), Parker Washington (71), and Brenton Strange (93) all topped 50 yards receiving. With the win, the Jags now have a very real shot at winning the AFC South, but Lawrence is going to have to stop turning the ball over if that's actually going to happen," Breech said.
Related: Jaguars HC just gave Trevor Lawrence strong vote of confidence despite puzzling play
Trevor Lawrence's up-and-down play highlighted by analysts
John Breech wasn't the only one to notice Trevor Lawrence's up-and-down play. While he indeed threw for 256 yards and three scores—hitting some dimes that only his receivers could catch—his four turnovers, as mentioned, were a big reason the Cardinals stayed in the game. Jeff Patra with NFL.com added his thoughts.
Patra writes: "Lawrence missed a host of passes but made the ones he needed late to overcome the miscues. Trailing deep into the game, Lawrence rifled a seed to for the go-ahead score. After the Cards forced overtime, Lawrence connected with Washington again for a 25-yarder to help set up the game-winning field goal."
ESPN.com added its own analysis, highlighting that the turning point of the game was a result of the team's sheer drive despite the bone-headed interceptions: "Quarterback Trevor Lawrence bounced back from his third interception to lead the Jaguars on a six-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Parker Washington."
Final thoughts
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been playoff contenders since the outset, yet they've often done so in spite of a few head-scratching plays by Lawrence each game. He's had 11 games now to get into his groove with new head coach Liam Coen, and here's hoping that he can clean up the mistakes we approach December and the most meaningful part of the schedule.
Playoffs, here we come. Maybe. Hopefullly.