Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was fired only hours after the team inexplicably blew a 13-point lead and lost to the Houston Texans and their backup quarterback, Tom Savage. The BACKUP QUARTERBACK! The guy who didn't get a practice rep all week; the guy who expected to hold a clipboard all afternoon; the guy who has held that same clipboard for the 3½ months.
Typically when your opponent puts in the second-team quarterback, your chances of winning skyrocket. That's just the way it is. That's just the way I expected it to be Sunday, but Savage proved a lot of people wrong. He wasn't perfect, but he was effective. He simply did what all quarterbacks are asked to do: win. I wish Bill O'Brien had left Brock Osweiler in the game.
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Now let's not put much blame on our defense. It held its own by holding the Texans to 21 points. In the NFL, that should amount to a win. If there is blame to be thrown around, it again needs to be put on the offense. I'm not a big statistics guy, but many times they really do tell the story. The Jaguar offense had 23:18 in time of possession, nine first downs and 150 yards -- only 150 yards!
Blake Bortles continues to struggle as he was 12 of 28 for 92 yards and an interception. He finished with a 36.6 rating. Not good!
So how does it get fixed? What is the answer? It’s hard to say. But if Bortles is the future of this franchise, there is going to need to be a lot of work done in the offseason. There is so much room for improvement, so much coaching that needs to take place.
It really is a shame to have lost because there truly was some good out there. The Marqise Lee kickoff return was huge! We haven't seen one of those since 2007. And how about the play of Jalen Ramsey? He challenged one of the best wide receivers in the league in Deondre Hopkins. Ramsey won that matchup most of the time. We're looking at a soon-to-be star in the NFL. This kid can simply make plays.
A coach told me once that football is a great game, but it’s also a tough business. Bradley found that to be true as he was relieved of his duties as head coach just hours after the loss to the Texans.
I imagine most Jaguar fans are in agreement with Khan’s decision to fire Bradley, and perhaps even thrilled with the news. I, for one, had a tough time with it. It’s not that I don’t agree. Bradley was brought here to win games, and that hasn’t happened. Really, it wasn’t even close.
The Jaguars parted ways with a good football coach and, more importantly, they parted ways with someone who gave it everything he had. He was good to his players. He was good to the organization and he was good to the community.
I am forever grateful for getting to know Gus Bradley.
The Jaguars host the Titans next week on Christmas Eve. Let's hope we get a win as an early Christmas gift.
Former NFL QB Mark Brunell answers viewer's questions about the game
Can you explain what happened to our defense on the Texans drive that took the lead late in the fourth quarter?
- Angela in Arlington
Too many pass interference penalties that kept the drive alive. We're asking a lot of the Jaguar defense. They only gave up 21 points and were on the field too much. Offense needs to hold on to the ball more.
What do want to see more of with the Jags’ remaining games?
- Brandon on the Westside
Only one thing: Wins. That's all that really matters
Why was Ramsey able to dominate the Texans as well as he did?
- Francis in Neptune Beach
Because he is REALLY talented.