By Hays Carlyon
HOUSTON – Drops.
Penalties.
Inability to line up.
Turnovers.
Defensive miscues.
All doomed the Jaguars in a 37-21 disaster to Houston that opened the regular season Sunday at NRG Stadium.
This was as bad an opener as a team can have.
Most NFL games are lost, not won. The Jaguars lived that saying in one of the most mistake-filled performances in recent memory (which is a high bar to eclipse).
The Texans played well, but the Jaguars were a comedy of errors. Clown shows aren’t this clownish.
The cynics that doubted whether first-year Jaguars coach Urban Meyer could transition to life in the NFL will have plenty of ammunition after this debacle.
The receivers and backs dropped eight passes.
The offensive line alone was called for six penalties (four were enforced) in the first half.
The Jaguars were flagged multiple times for illegal formations or having 12 men in the huddle.
Meyer burned through two timeouts immediately in the first quarter.
Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence looked good early, but got no help around him. He then fell apart with three interceptions. All three were either terrible throws or decisions.
Now, this is where I tell you the good news. Well, I suppose it’s good news.
The season is just 5.8 percent complete thanks to the new 17-game schedule.
You still have 94.2 percent of this season to play.
The Colts lost at home by 12 points on Sunday.
The Titans got beat by 25 points at home as well.
The Jaguars won lost year’s opener and then lost 15 consecutive games. The team they beat, Indianapolis, bounced back to go 11-4 from there.
Openers can be deceiving.
However, this was so putrid and disjointed that it’s fair to wonder how much improvement can be made before the season is lost?
The Texans were considered the worst team in the NFL by many entering the season. The Jaguars never remotely threatened them.
Someone named David Culley just handed Meyer a butt kicking in his NFL debut with Deshaun Watson inactive.
Few were expecting Meyer to instantly produce a winning product.
But it was fair to expect the team to look functional.
The Jaguars have a long way to go to becoming a team that doesn’t make life way too easy on its foe.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @HaysCarlyon).