Big Cat Country
The Jacksonville Jaguars had an impressive 26-21 road victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4, improving to 3-1 on the season.
Jacksonville’s defense led the way, forcing three turnovers, including a game-changing fumble from Arik Armstead late in the fourth quarter. They now have 13 takeaways, which is the most in franchise history through the first four weeks of the season.
Travis Etienne Jr. had another strong day, rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown on 6.5 yards per carry, including a big 48-yard score to open things up for Jacksonville in the first quarter.
Jacksonville took advantage of opportunities, scoring touchdowns on San Francisco’s two early turnovers, while closing out the game after the final fumble.
While it’s been a great start for the Jaguars, one concern remains: the consistency of quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the team’s passing game.
Lawrence threw for 174 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, while completing only 5.6 yards per pass and a couple of turnover-worthy plays that could’ve shifted things entirely.
Lawrence nearly had a back-breaking interception in Jacksonville territory that was wiped out by a controversial pass interference penalty. And there was another pass or two that linebacker Fred Warner got his hands on, but couldn’t corral.
The Jaguars quarterback was more accurate on Sunday, completing 67.7 percent of his passes. But, that came with a measly 6.4 intended air yards per attempt, which was a bottom-10 rank this week, so Lawrence wasn’t really challenging down the field.
Through four games, Lawrence has thrown for 845 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions, while averaging only 5.9 yards per passing attempt. His connection with Brian Thomas Jr. is still growing; the duo had five completions for 49 yards on Saturday, but it remains a work in progress on both sides.
Thomas nearly had a big catch in San Francisco territory, but couldn’t keep a second foot in bounds on a deep out. There seems to be one or two mental mistakes a game for the young wide receiver that need to be figured out.
Overall, Lawrence has a -10.2 percent completion percentage above expectation, which speaks to both errant throws and an ugly drop rate from his receivers.
The arrival of head coach Liam Coen has jump-started Jacksonville’s rushing attack. If they can get more consistency from Lawrence, they could emerge as one of the most complete teams in the NFL this season.
What’s your biggest concern about the Jaguars heading into Week 5 against the Chiefs? Weigh in below in the comment section.
