For the Jacksonville Jaguars, it might not be the prettiest of scenarios in going into this week two match-up against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. They are coming off a disappointing performance in front of the home fans last week with a 20-9 defeat to the Carolina Panthers, they suffered a few injuries during last week's game that could shelve more starters with the addition to the losses of defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks and tight end Julius Thomas, whom both have not played a snap of the 2015 season yet, and many fans are frustrated of an offense that should be considered to be "improved" from a season ago.
The Jaguars offense was disappointing, to say the least, last Sunday against the Panthers. They only had just over 260 yards with three turnovers, one fumble by wide receiver Allen Hurns and two interceptions by quarterback Blake Bortles. The Jaguars quarterback showed his frustration during an interview with the media on Wednesday when the media asked him on fans criticizing the play-calling by the coaches.
"It's like kindergartners saying something to college kids," Bortles said. "I think it’s unbelievably hard to appreciate. You talk all the time about coaches in the stands at any sport at any level it’s going to happen. Knowing [offensive coordinator Greg Olson] and knowing what he goes through on a week and how much he prepares he’s got us ready and a perfect plan each week."
Blake Bortles believes that the Jaguars did not play any good at all last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, but that will not be an easy task. A team highlighted by their heavy defensive line highlighted by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and possibly defensive end Cameron Wake, who's listed as questionable on Friday's injury report, it will be a very important test to both Bortles and an offensive line that massively struggled when offensive tackle Luke Joeckel came out of last week's game in a walking boot with a hamstring injury, as he is also listed as questionable for Sunday's game.
The Jaguars offense, however, in a game plagued by turnovers and other fundamental mistakes last Sunday, found a few bright spots in rookies running back T.J. Yeldon and wide receiver Rashad Greene. Yeldon gained 52 yards on 12 carries last week, as he expects to get more carries this week to try to break down Miami's defensive line, as they gave up 121 yards on 25 carries to Washington running back Alfred Morris last Sunday. For wide receiver Rashad Greene, he made an immediate impact for the Jags as he caught seven passes for 29 yards and the Jags' only touchdown last week. The two rookies had above average performances for a team that should be able to take another step to try to lead a charge for a win this Sunday.
For the Jaguars defense, they will be facing quarterback Ryan Tannehill for a second year in a row. The Dolphins offense is young and talented with weapons all around the field for them with running back Lamar Miller, wide receiver Jarvis Landry, and tight end Jordan Cameron leading the way for the Dolphins. The defense for the Jags did a relatively good job last week, only holding the Panthers to less than 270 yards last week, but was pumped in the last few drives of the game when the offense could not stay on the field for the team. There were encouraging performances by veteran linebacker Paul Posluszny, who had a nice interception last week and the rest of the Jaguars starting linebacker core, with Telvin Smith and Dan Skuta, whom were all responsible for 25 tackles, with 4 of them being accounted for losses of yardage.
Last week, the offense's crucial mistakes were proven costly and if they are removed, it will definitely improve the chances for the team to get a win this Sunday. Head Coach Gus Bradley and Blake Bortles, over the course of the week, had a felt of anguish and fire again, knowing that last week's game slipped off their own hands for their own mistakes. The Jaguars might need a victory more than the Dolphins, as they will not be playing a game in Jacksonville for another three weeks after Sunday. A two loss start for the team might cause many fans to start panicking for the remainder of the 2015 season.