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The Day After: Titans 20, Jaguars 0

12.13 The Day After

JACKSONVILLE – A day after, senior writer John Oehser examines the Jaguars' 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans in a 2021 Week 14 game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday

1. The confidence and momentum of October and November are long since gone. The Jaguars won two of three games around a late-October bye – with both victories over AFC playoff contenders (Miami and Buffalo). That momentum is difficult to remember now. The Jaguars have lost their last five games, their second five-game losing streak of the season. "Losing sucks," Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer said Sunday. "That's all I can tell you. It eats away at your soul."

2. The offensive struggles are as real as it gets … The Jaguars have had 200 yards or less offensively in three of the last four games and four times this season. They haven't scored an offensive touchdown while leading or to take the lead in the last seven games. "You have to do something," Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. "If something's not working, you have to try to figure it out. You have to figure out what you're good at. Obviously, we don't know that right now because you can see we're not playing well on offense."

3. … and so are Lawrence's struggles … Lawrence passed for 221 yards Sunday with no touchdowns and a career-high four interceptions. "Obviously, starts with me being the quarterback and I've got to accept all the blame for what I did," Lawrence said. "I didn't play well, didn't put us in good situations. I take that on the chin."

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4. … but his interceptions must be kept in perspective. Lawrence hasn't played well in recent weeks, and his performance has slipped since a Week 7 bye. He appears to have lost accuracy and confidence – understandable given the running struggles and issues at receiver. But his four-interception game Sunday should be analyzed properly. The first was a pass wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. should have caught and the third came on a deep pass on third-and-8 – so it essentially was a punt. The last came with the Jaguars trailing by 17 in the final minutes. Lawrence wasn't good Sunday, but he wasn't epically bad.

5. Meyer remains honest in his assessment of his team. Meyer on the performance Sunday: "Awful."

6. The run offense continues to be an issue. The Jaguars rushed eight times for a franchise-low eight yards Sunday, with running back James Robinson rushing six times for four yards. "It starts with the inability to consistently run the ball and be a run-play-action offense," Meyer said. "We're not getting the movement. We're not running the ball very effectively, and then today just couldn't run the ball."

7. Slow starts continue to haunt. The Jaguars haven't led in the last five games, and they have trailed by double digits in the first half in five consecutive games. The combination of offensive struggles and slow starts makes winning – or even staying close – next-to impossible.

8. The defense continues to play mostly at a winning level. The Jaguars' defense has not been great in recent weeks, and the unit allowed a first-drive touchdown Sunday that set the tone for the game. But the defense also had four sacks and allowed just 263 yards Sunday. "The defense gave up a couple drives, but they were on the field far too long," Meyer said. "I was very appreciative of the fact that they were swinging as hard as they possibly could in that second half. We gave up a few points, but they were on the field far too long." Said Lawrence, "We have to be better for the defense. They're playing pretty well, and we put them in a bad spot."

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9. This was a rough one for the offensive line. The offensive line had a rough day, with the Jaguars rushing for a franchise-low eight yards and allowing three sacks on Lawrence. Guard Andrew Norwell was called for holding three times; guard Ben Bartch, once. Meyer was asked afterward about the offensive linemen getting their "[butts] kicked." "Yeah," he replied.

10. Takeaway-giveaway remains a huge issue. The Jaguars entered Sunday 31st in the NFL in takeaway-giveaway radio. They committed four turnovers and forced none. They're last in the NFL after Sunday's games at minus-19. The defense has forced just six turnovers this season, fewest in the league.

11. Cooke remains good … Fourth-year punter Logan Cooke remains a bright spot. He punted five times for 42.4-yard net average Sunday with three punts inside the 20.

12. … Robertson-Harris does, too. Defensive linebacker Roy Robertson-Harris in recent weeks has emerged as one of the defense's more consistent players. He had four tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss Sunday with two quarterback pressures. He has three sacks this season.

Check out these top game photos of the Jacksonville Jaguars as they take on the Tennessee Titans for Week 14 of the NFL Regular Season at Nissan Stadium.

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