The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 14 loss to the Cleveland Browns was a mess.
Trevor Lawrence finished with three interceptions on a day where he and his wide receivers struggled to get on the same page. Add in a Parker Washington fumble, a turnover on downs, and seven Logan Cooke punts, and the Jaguars afforded the Browns plenty of opportunities on offense.
Jacksonville’s defense had its moments, forcing three turnovers and eight Cleveland punts. But it had miscommunications of its own, allowing Browns tight end David Njoku to run free for 34- and 30-yard touchdowns in the first half.
Who struggled most in the Jaguars’ 31-27 loss? And which players had a strong performance for Jacksonville, despite the rough outing in Cleveland? Here are some studs and duds for the Jaguars in Week 14:
Stud: TE Evan Engram
On the board.@eazyengram | @Trevorlawrencee pic.twitter.com/bi0rMWv9On
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 10, 2023
On a day when the reliability and leadership of Christian Kirk was sorely missed, Engram was the sole reliable pass catcher for Trevor Lawrence. The veteran tight end caught 11 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Dud: WR Calvin Ridley
Throws behind him but Ridley has get his eyes back faster. Who’s this on Jacksonville? #DUUUVAL #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/pQhxOetFQS
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) December 10, 2023
Between miscommunications and drops, not many positive things came from Lawrence throwing Ridley’s direction. The receiver caught only four of the 13 passes thrown his way and two of them were intercepted.
Dud: WR Zay Jones
There weren’t many plays where Jones made an egregious error or drop, but the veteran receiver also didn’t make any of the tough plays either. Lawrence threw his direction 14 times and it resulted in five receptions for 29 yards.
Stud: DB Antonio Johnson
We see you, rook!@Antonio_johns0n | #JAXvsCLE on CBS pic.twitter.com/Th4S3smGC9
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 10, 2023
The Jaguars’ rookie safety hasn’t seen the field often this season with plenty of veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. But with Tyson Campbell and Tre Herndon both out of action, Johnson saw time in the slot Sunday and made an impact. A third quarter Johnson blitz resulted in a timely turnover and he got the Jaguars defense off the field on the next possession with a pass breakup.
Studs: LTs Ezra Cleveland & Blake Hance
Due to injuries for Cam Robinson and Walker Little, the Jaguars decided to have Cleveland make his first career start at left tackle. Then he too suffered an injury and Hance was forced into action. Despite having a third- and fourth-string left tackle lined up across from Myles Garrett, the Browns’ star defender didn’t take over the game and finished with only one tackle. That’s a valiant effort from a pair of guys in a tough spot.
Dud: Jaguars run game
Travis Etienne said after the game that his 2.5 yards per carry are his fault and that his offensive line is doing a good job blocking. That’s nice of him to say, but not really true. The Jaguars running back was hit in the backfield often Sunday and managed only 35 yards on 14 carries.
Dud: Jaguars pass rush
Against a quarterback who is far from mobile, the Jaguars pass rush didn’t do nearly enough. The only sack of Joe Flacco was via Antonio Johnson’s aforementioned blitz and the duo of Josh Allen and Travon Walker did little to affect the game.
