By Hays Carlyon
The Jaguars were destroyed on Sunday.
Again.
The Jaguars managed 197 yards in a 37-7 loss at the Los Angeles Rams. They are 2-11 with a four-game losing streak.
However, I’m not going to rehash the gory details of Sunday’s demolition.
I’m not going to focus on the fact that the Jaguars were 0-4 against the NFC West this season, getting outscored 129-43.
I’m not going to focus on the fact the Jaguars remain the only team in the NFL that has yet to score at least 24 points in any game this season. There are 23 teams that have done it at least five times.
I sure as heck am not going to focus on getting the top pick in the worst draft in a decade.
I’m going to focus on what first-year coach Urban Meyer can do to try and salvage something positive this season.
Just beat Houston and the New York Jets, Urban. Get to four wins.
Four wins is no great feat, but that would be plus-3 improvement from last season’s 1-15 debacle. There’s only one team, Cincinnati, that has already achieved that feat this season and we are in December.
So, how do the Jaguars get there?
*Don’t fire anyone yet
The last thing this operation needs is more chaos. Obviously, changes will likely need to be made after the season, assuming Meyer comes back for another helping of this misery. However, for now, Meyer doesn’t need to make things harder on rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
This team will not respond well to offensive coaches being fired.
*Rest James Robinson this week at Tennessee
You aren’t going to win in Nashville. The Titans (8-4) are much more talented even without phenom running back Derrick Henry and are coming off a bye.
Meyer needs to sit Robinson to get him as healthy as possible for the two games that follow the Titans. That’s the Texans and Jets.
Those are now must-win games for Meyer to take any shred of credibility into his second year.
Robinson could be the difference in beating Houston and New York. He isn’t the same player now as he continues to fight through injuries to his heel and knee. The Jaguars need to give him a week to solely rehab and rest.
The final two games don’t look winnable. The Jaguars go to New England (8-4) and then host Indianapolis (7-6). It’s highly unlikely those games won’t have huge playoff implications for both teams.
This Jaguars team isn’t playing spoiler.
Splitting against the Texans and Jets isn’t good enough.
A 3-14 season would really be hard to defend for Meyer. Obviously, if the Jaguars lose out and finish 2-15 that’s an utter failure. That would be a nine-game losing skid to close the season.
The Jaguars need to get to four wins.
Meyer needs to get to four wins.
The optimists could then say that the team was 4-8 in their last 12 games. Not something to celebrate, but certainly not a hopeless result with an offseason of major player acquisitions to come.
Rest James Robinson, Urban, and keep your staff intact for now.
Get Robinson ready for two huge games for you and the franchise.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @HaysCarlyon)
