Not much has gone right for the Jacksonville Jaguars during a frustrating, 0-2 start to the 2024 season.
The performance of Jacksonville’s young defense has been a silver lining.
After limiting the Miami Dolphins’ prolific offense to 20 points in Week 1, the Jaguars held the Cleveland Browns out of the end zone from the second quarter on in an 18-13 defeat at home. Of particular note Sunday was the play of the secondary, which was without No. 1 cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring) and starting safety Darnell Savage (quad).
The Jaguars leaned on homegrown talent to fill the void. According to PFF, safety Antonio Johnson (2023 fifth-round pick), cornerback Montaric Brown (2022 seventh-round pick), and rookie corner Jarrian Jones (2024 third-round pick) were among the team’s snap-count leaders against the Browns.
Jaguars Week 2 defensive snap counts:
- Antonio Johnson, S — 72
- Andre Cisco,vS — 70
- Montaric Brown, CB —69
- Ronald Darby, CB — 60
- Foyesade Oluokun, LB — 59
- Jarrian Jones, CB — 57
- Travon Walker, DE — 55
- Josh Hines-Allen, DE — 53
- Roy Robertson-Harris, DT — 49
- Devin Lloyd, LB — 48
- Jeremiah Ledbetter, DT — 36
- Arik Armstead, DT — 34
- DaVon Hamilton, DT — 27
- Esezi Otomewo, DT — 25
- Ventrell Miller, LB — 13
- Chad Muma, LB — 13
- Yasir Abdullah, LB — 13
- Myles Cole, DE — 13
- Tre Flowers, CB — 11
- Deantre Prince, CB — 11
- Daniel Thomas, S — 4
Brown was the story for Jacksonville’s defense on Sunday, leading the team with 11 tackles, including a pair behind the line of scrimmage. He’s been a key depth piece for the team throughout his three seasons, starting six games in 2023 with Campbell in and out of the lineup with soft-tissue injuries. His snap count soared in this one, and that should continue in next Monday night's game at Buffalo.
With Savage out, Jones got increased opportunities at the nickel spot and struggled in coverage. Johnson was on the field more than any other Jaguars defender and had some rough moments himself, including a roughing the passer penalty in the third quarter that aided a Browns scoring drive.
Jacksonville’s most impactful defensive player against the Browns? That was pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen, who registered seven QB pressures and a pair of run stuffs, per PFF.
As for the offense, the inability to sustain drives and score points came back to bite the Jaguars for the second consecutive week.
Jaguars Week 2 offensive snap counts
- Brandon Scherff, RG — 60
- Mitch Morse, C — 60
- Cam Robinson, LT — 60
- Ezra Cleveland, LG — 60
- Anton Harrison, RT — 60
- Trevor Lawrence, QB — 60
- Gabe Davis, WR — 57
- Christian Kirk, WR — 53
- Brian Thomas Jr., WR — 44
- Travis Etienne Jr., RB — 43
- Brenton Strange, TE — 41
- Luke Farrell, TE — 28
- D'Ernest Johnson, RB — 17
- Parker Washington, WR — 13
- Devin Duvernay, WR — 3
- Walker Little, OT — 1
Jacksonville was without starting tight end Evan Engram, who was a late scratch due to a hamstring injury suffered in pregame warmups. That proved to be a brutal blow to a passing game that’s lacking chemistry to start the season.
Trevor Lawrence hit wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a 66-yard reception, but the star rookie was only targeted four times in this game. Part of the problem there is that Gabe Davis — not Thomas or Christian Kirk — continues to operate as the team’s WR1. He led the wide receivers in snaps for the second straight game, and also led the team in targets Sunday with seven. The former fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills finished with three receptions for 43 yards.
Kirk, one of the receivers Lawrence should actually have chemistry with, was invisible in this game, somehow finishing with negative receiving yards on three targets while playing over 85 percent of the offensive snaps. Kirk has just two catches for 29 yards through the first two weeks of the season.
MORE JAGUARS NEWS:
It's time to have the Doug Pederson conversation
Jaguars land young pass rusher in proposed trade with Giants
Trade speculation surrounding Jaguars Mac Jones is mystifying at best
How the Jacksonville Jaguars' NFL seasons have gone after an 0-2 start
How long had it been since Travis Etienne lost a fumble? A long time
