JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News and notes from the Jaguars 27-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers:
Lack of running game:
Establishing the run game has been a point of emphasis for the Jaguars. Their ability to do that took a major hit early Sunday morning when it was announced that Chris Ivory would miss the game against Green Bay. The Jaguars running back was admitted to the hospital early Sunday morning. We don’t know any of the particulars yet, but the Jaguars have announced that Ivory should be released in the next couple or so days.
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With Ivory unavailable, T.J. Yeldon took on the full load at running back. Although he did score a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the first half, the Jaguars never got the ground game going. Through two quarters they managed 22 yards on 16 attempts (1.4 yards per carry). The second half wasn’t much better. The Jaguars had a total of 48 rushing yards on 26 attempts (1.8 yards per carry).
Aaron Rodgers is just that good:
Has the Jaguars pass rush improved since last year? It’s hard to tell when your first game is against Aaron Rodgers. On the times that the Jaguars did get pressure, Rodgers calmly stepped up in the pocket and found an open receiver. Jacksonville was credited with one sack but overall Rodgers had time to find his targets.
Penalties/Coverage issues:
If there’s no pass rush that means that defensive backs have to cover longer. That’s never a good thing when you’re facing Rodgers. By the middle of the second quarter the Green Bay quarterback made up his mind. He singled out Jaguars safety Jonathan Cyprien and targeted whoever Cyprien was covering.
On a play where Cyprien did a decent job covering, he was called for pass interference. That call cost the Jaguars 30-yards and led to the Packers touchdown just before half-time. On another third and long situation, Jaguars cornerback Prince Amukamra was called for holding. Both plays resulted in first-downs. You can’t give somebody as talented as Rodgers extra opportunities to put points on the board.
Rodgers is also very good at using a hard count. He got the Jaguars to jump offside a couple of times. The Jaguars finished with nine penalties for a total of 79 yards.