Jaguars at boiling point?

Frustrations visibly boil over during, after loss to Texans

(George Varkanis)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Frustrations boiled over Sunday on the sidelines and in the locker room as the Jaguars dropped their third straight game, 20-7 to the Houston Texans.

The most visibly upset player was defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who was seen on the sideline shouting at coaches and being restrained by a teammate. 

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After the game, as the locker room doors were opened to allow reporters in, Ngakoue was seen being restrained by fellow defensive lineman Calais Campbell. Doors were then closed before reporters entered the locker room. 

"Nobody should be happy losing.  If you’re not upset, you can’t love this game," Campbell said. "It’s controlled emotion. Now we have a game in London. It’s been a good place for us recently. Hopefully, we can get a little of that London magic and get it going in the right direction.”

The loss followed a week when head coach Doug Marrone ramped up the intensity of practice and focused on a return to the basics. The Jaguars responded with a third straight scoreless first half for the first time in franchise history. 

"What you think, man? You all walk in here, you all see how it is in here, you all see how we vibe with each other, you all see how we vibe towards the coaches, you all see how it is. It is no secret what’s going on here right now," cornerback Jalen Ramsey said. "Ain’t nobody going to say it because we can’t, but it ain’t no secret what’s going on and it ain’t right, right now. It is what it is.”

The coming week, including the Jaguars’ annual trip to London, will test the team’s resolve. With such high expectations at the beginning of the season, the Jaguars are facing the most adversity in Marrone’s tenure.

“We got to keep guys together. This is the message I sent to the guys," defensive captain Telvin Smith said. "We want you to love the game right now.  We want you to love this team, this organization and love each other. We’re going to have to battle deep. We’ve dug ourselves in a hole. It’s going to take a lot to dig us out.”