Jaguars Fall to Redskins 20-17 in a game Jaguar fans have seen before
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: In a crucial December game that could make or break the Jaguars playoff chances, the team played sloppy football, committed dumb penalties, and were simply not the better team.
At this point, everything that could been written about Jack Del Rio’s inability to close the deal has been and we all know it.
Simply put, at this point we know how the story is going to end and it’s never going to end well. Whether it’s 2004 vs Houston, 2006 in Nashville, last year vs Miami, or today in the Southern Tundra of Everbank Field vs Washington, this team fails to show up when it matters most.
The Jaguars committed 7 penalties for 66 yards, 2 turnovers, and allowed the opening kickoff to be returned to their 40 yard line. Those are signs of a team that just didn’t want to play ball.
The Redskins team that came into Everbank was one of the most depleted units in the NFL. They were starting Sexy Rexy Grossman of all people. The same Rex Grossman who helped spot the Jaguars a 17-0 lead vs Houston last year.
However, thanks to mental errors and turnovers the Redskins did just enough on offense. 3 of the 4 drives the Redskins score on started in Jacksonville territory.
After being put in two bad situations to start the game, the Jaguars defense bucked up and played well for the most part. They were aided by some vintage terrible Rex Grossman decisions and a questionable replay that awarded an interception to Derek Cox, but they certainly weren’t the reason the Jaguars lost this game.
Washington’s defense was made up of castoffs and practice squad guys, and the Jaguars offense still only managad 17 points. David Garrard may have thrown for 299 yards but it was a terrible day for him on the whole. Poor reads and holding onto the ball too long were the story of the day with him. His first interception allowed the Redskins to score an easy touchdown. The interception he threw in overtime was the kind of thing you would expect a rookie QB or Brett Favre to do. Never mind other plays such as the sack he took before the half that almost could’ve ended up as a defensive touchdown for Washington.
Even without Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars utter failure to run the football is also disheartening. For the 2nd straight week, the Jaguars couldn’t run the ball vs a physically outmatched defensive line and can only blame themselves for that.
All of this brings me back to the common denominator for all of the Jaguars late season swoons, Jack Del Rio. Once again, this team came out flat and was out hit in the most critical part of the season. The Colts at least had Peyton Manning on their side. The Redskins started the guy who was so bad in the Super Bowl that Manning finally could win it.
Quite frankly, I’m just disgusted at this point. It’s the same thing every year. Jack knows it. David knows it. The fans know it. And most importantly, Gene Smith and Wayne Weaver know it. Save your ticket stubs Jaguar fans, because you probably have gone to the last home game in the Jack Del Rio era.
