The Jacksonville Jaguars acquired their second loss of the season at NRG Stadium courtesy of the Houston Texans, putting them at a record of 0-2 on the 2019 season. It was an offensive struggle for both teams and the Jags weren’t able to score a touchdown until the last drive of the game. Unfortunately, they still weren’t able to acquire a victory with the final score being 13-12.
As always, Sunday’s game came with both some winners and losers as far as performances go and here are some of the names we felt stood out in Week 2’s AFC South battle that went down to the wire:
Winners
Jaguars’ defense
Jacksonville’s vaunted defense was in need of a bounce-back game against the Texans coming off of a very disappointing season opening performance -— and they got just that. The Jaguars’ defense went from giving up 40 points to the Chiefs to only 13 against Houston, seven of which came as a result of a Gardner Minshew fumble that happened on the Jags’ 11-yard line. The Jaguars dished out one of the better performances in recent memory, and if not for a dropped pick-six from Jalen Ramsey, it would have been an absolutely dominant showing.
WR D.J. Chark
D.J. Chark is a winner once again this week. He’s been very consistent for the Jags to open the season and seems to be showing the growth fans were hoping for after a frustrating 2018 campaign. However, in his first two games this season, Chark has been exceptional catching 11 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. His emergence may come as a surprise to some because many expected Dede Westbrook to become the Jaguars go-to weapon on offense, but thus far it has been No. 17 instead.
QB Gardner Minshew
For most quarterbacks, Minshew’s performance would be mostly underwhelming, but it was a step in the right direction for a rookie starting in his first game. Minshew was once again decisive and careful with the football, finishing the day 23-of-33 for 213 yards and a touchdown.
Minshew kept the ball away from the Texans in terms of decision making, and when the team needed him most, he went on a tear, manufacturing two back-to-back scoring drives to put the team in a position to win. He even showed off his ability to scramble, picking up first downs with his legs. Fans must understand this was only his second regular season game, but he showed promise for the remainder of the 2019 season.
Losers
HC Doug Marrone
Coach Marrone did not have his best game against the Texans. The coach had a verbal dispute with Jaguars’ star corner Jalen Ramsey early in the game and made key mistakes following the altercation. Many will shame Marrone for his decision to go for the two-point conversion in the final seconds of the game, but I actually liked the decision. The offense was on a roll and Marrone wanted to capitalize on their momentum. The bad idea came when the staff called a run up the middle with Leonard Fournette. Minshew was winning with his arm on that drive, but the consistent stubbornness to win with a power run game ultimately led to the loss.
RB Leonard Fournette
Fournette is on the list here not because of his level of play as he seems to have his burst and agility back thus far into this season. The reason is that Fournette seems to be the poster-child of everything that is wrong with the Jaguars.
The Jaguars seem to be stuck in their old ways of having a power run offense, and Fournette is the one fans blame the most. He hasn’t been the most productive back and is coming off of a very lackluster 2018 season. I think he has played a lot better so far this season, but to fans, they will see the two-point conversion and point the blame at Fournette.
