JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars’ season isn’t mathematically over, but it sure feels that way after Sunday’s 24-18 loss to Philadelphia at Wembley Stadium in London.
There were more injuries to an already banged-up roster. The defense had trouble getting off the field on third down. The offense couldn’t run the ball, and the receivers dropped four passes. And, then there were the reports four players who were detained "over restitution of a bill" on Friday night in London.
About the only thing that went well was quarterback Blake Bortles rebounded from his benching and threw for 286 yards and a touchdown and -- most importantly -- didn’t turn the ball over.
The Jaguars are now 0-for-October and 3-5 after their fourth consecutive loss. A season in which they were supposed to be one of the best teams in the AFC has rapidly fallen apart, and the main reasons for the mess aren’t things that can get solved during the bye week.
The AFC South is not exactly a loaded division, though Houston sits in first place after winning five in a row after an 0-3 start, but it’s hard to see the Jaguars being a factor with everything that’s happened.
There are numerous reasons for the free fall, most notably injuries. The Jaguars are down to their third-string left tackle and fourth-string tight end, and the other four starters on the offensive line are dealing with nagging injuries.
Running back Leonard Fournette hasn’t played since Week 4 because of a hamstring injury, either.
The Jaguars were down three of their top four cornerbacks against the Eagles and lost another during the game. Safety Barry Church, one of the four players detained after an altercation at a London club early Saturday morning, left the game in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Quenton Meeks, one of three undrafted rookie cornerbacks who had to play on Sunday, left the game with a knee injury.
The Jaguars can’t run the ball -- 70 yards against the Eagles and an average of 68 yards per game in the past three weeks -- and the receivers have not helped out much, either. Keelan Cole has five drops and two lost fumbles in the past three games and was sent to the bench in the second half against the Eagles after a fumble.
Receiver DJ Chark dropped a touchdown pass against Philadelphia. Tight end David Grinnage and running back T.J. Yeldon also had drops.
There have been a lot of off-field issues, too, which may have contributed to some chemistry issues. It may have begun in training camp when defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Dante Fowler, Jr. got into an altercation on the practice field in front of reporters. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, unhappy that reporters were filming it (as allowed by team rules), went on a profane tirade and later threatened one reporter on Twitter. That got him suspended for a week (as was Fowler).
During his suspension GQ magazine released a piece on Ramsey in which he offered his opinion on 25 of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks. He called Buffalo’s Josh Allen “trash,” said Atlanta’s Matt Ryan was over-rated and a product of Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system, and labeled Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger “decent at best.”
There was some yelling and frustration in the locker room after last week’s loss to the Texans and Ngakoue had to be restrained by defensive end Calais Campbell.
News broke late Saturday night that four Jaguars players -- Church, D.J. Hayden, Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson -- were detained by London police after an altercation at a club.
Those things paint a picture of a team in disarray and one that struggles with discipline, something at odds with what is expected of a Tom Coughlin team.
That’s generally not the kind of team that can rally itself when the season goes wrong. Maybe the Jaguars can, but it’s hard to see it.