Jacksonville entered the season with hope. Not necessarily high expectations, but hope that the team would improve in the first season under new head coach Urban Meyer and the most talented quarterback the franchise has ever had in Trevor Lawrence.
Those hopes were quickly dashed on Sunday. In the Jaguars’ season opener against the Houston Texans, they were dominated on both sides of the ball en route to a 37-21 loss. Mistakes abounded as Lawrence threw three interceptions, and the team was penalized 10 times.
After the game, Meyer said that there is plenty of football left to be played but that he also believes the team will improve over time.
“I’ve been warned that this is a marathon, not a sprint… we’re still a work in progress…,” Meyer said, according to First Coast News’ Mia O’Brien. “I did not expect that today [but] I believe deeply in this team. Line up and go again.”
Those aforementioned penalties proved to be costly, consistently putting Lawrence and the offense behind the chains and creating third and long situations. Lawrence struggled with accuracy and decision-making, but the rest of the team didn’t do much to help him out.
Meyer said those penalties, which included multiple holding calls, illegal formations, and a costly offsides penalty on fourth and short, were what frustrated him the most.
“Self-inflicted, seven penalties on the first three or four drives… That was the biggest disappointment.”
Many wondered how Meyer, who has no experience coaching at the NFL level, would adjust to the differences in the game. The season is still young, but that learning curve seemed noticeable on Sunday.
The Jaguars return home next week for their home opener against the Denver Broncos. They’ll hope to leave those mental mistakes behind in Houston.
