Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson argues with the officials on a failed two-point conversion during the fourth quarter Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jets held off the Jaguars 32-25. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Jacksonville Jaguars let another one slip through their fingers on Sunday, dropping to 3-11 after a 32-25 loss to the New York Jets.
Despite holding several second-half leads, the Jaguars once again failed to get remotely out of their own way. And it cost them yet another winnable game, dropping their record in one score games to 2-8 on the 2024 season.
So, what do we make of the Jaguars' latest loss and what it all means moving forward?
At the end of the day, winning does the Jaguars no real long-term favors. They got their morale-boosting win last week in Nashville. From this point on, the best actual results for the Jaguars on Sunday is going to be a loss. And in Week 15 against the Jets, that is exactly what the Jaguars ended up getting.
On top of the loss improving their draft positioning, the Jaguars also saw rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. have another breakout game. With one of the most important players on the roster having a career day coupled with the Jaguars' chances at getting the No. 1 pick rising, Sunday can be considered an overall pisitive.
The Jaguars' defense has been a major disappointment all season long, but they might have reached a new low in Sunday's loss. After holding the Jets to just seven points in the first half, the Jaguars' suffered a defensive meltdown of the highest magnitutde in the second half. It was yet another game where the defense turned out to be the difference.
Part of it is surely execution and talent, but the scheme looked simply too off on Sunday for the Jaguars to have any kind of chance. Linebackers were forced to run with wide receivers on vertical routes, while the Jaguars let the Jets get into position for the game-winning touchdown by simply not being within 25 yards of the wide-open receiver.
Mac Jones has certainly rebounded from his first two starts with the Jaguars. Jones had some legitimately good moments during Sunday's game, showing off good field vision, accuracy and the ability to extend plays despite not being an elite athlete. Jones showed more in this game than he had in any of his previous starts, which is a positive sign in his development.
The issue for the Jaguars is that Jones is also one of the biggest reasons the Jaguars lost. He took a seven-yard loss on a sack in the red-zone and threw two inexcusable interceptions, extending his streak of starts with at least one interception. He is improving, but the turnovers are becoming a troubling tend.
The Jaguars went with a full-on youth movement in Week 15. It is hardly a surprise to see the Jaguars divide up more and more snaps to their stars of tomorrow now that the playoffs are out of reach. The biggest example of the Jaguars doing it on Sunday? Starting cornerback Ronald Darby did not play a snap, instead turning his role over to Montaric Brown. He may not be the last veteran starter who faces a similar benching.
As a result of the Jaguars losing and sticking at three wins, they are now currently owners of the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Jaguars nearly beat the Jets and played themselves out of the No. 1 pick, but their win means they now have a critical Week 16 showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders. There is a real chance the loser of the game will be picking No. 1 overall thanks to the Jaguars' loss on Sunday -- something that would not have been able to be said if the Jaguars had held on for the win.
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