JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – What looked to be a blowout of the New York Jets turned into a somewhat interesting game as the Jaguars turned the ball over repeatedly in the fourth quarter. But the Jets offense simply couldn’t capitalize and the Jaguars won the football game 31-12.
Once again the Jaguars' defense dominated the day. The Jets had a total of 178 yards on offense. The Jaguars finished the first quarter of the season at 3-1 for the first time since 2007.
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The rookie Jets quarterback, Sam Darnold, struggled to get anything going throughout the game. The Jets' run game was nonexistent, which is tough for a young quarterback to overcome. The Jets had opportunities in the passing game, however. Open receivers downfield were too often overthrown. The Jets finished with only 34 yards on the ground.
The highlight of the day was the play of Blake Bortles in the first half. He was sharp. At the half he was 16 of 19 for 216 yards and a TD.
The Jets allowed quite a few wide open receivers and Blake found them every snap. Blake looked like Drew Brees yesterday spreading the ball around to multiple receivers. Ten Jaguars were on the receiving end of Bortles' passes.
This was a big win for the Jaguars, but there certainly are concerns after four games. Three turnovers were too many. The Jaguars are also committing too many penalties, which can hurt you against a good football team. The Jaguars were penalized nine times for 89 yards.
The health of the team is also in question. Leonard Fournette seemed to aggravate his hamstring once again and was held out in the second half. Brandon Linder also left with a back injury.
The Jaguars are certainly one of the best teams in the NFL this year, but they need to get healthy and play more disciplined football.
Congrats to the Jaguars for an excellent start to the 2018 season. Bring on the Chiefs.