How the Jacksonville Jaguars came up one yard short in 23-17 loss to New York Giants

The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) couldn't overcome mistakes for a fourth straight week, ultimately falling 23-17 to the New York Giants (6-1).

Since starting the season 2-1, the Jaguars have dropped four games, all due to similar reasons of not being able to finish a contest when needed.

Entering the game, the Giants were thought to be an opportunistic winning team, while the Jaguars were a team that couldn't finish when expected. That didn't change on Sunday as Jacksonville fell for a 19th-straight time to an NFC opponent.

With just five seconds remaining, the Jaguars had the ball at the Giants' 16-yard line. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed the ball to receiver Christian Kirk for 16 yards, who bounced his way to the one-yard-line. He couldn't get into the end zone, falling about three feet short as the clock expired.

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• Same old story: Jaguars failing to come through in clutch moments | Gene Frenette

Prior to Sunday, the Jaguars ruled out starting cornerback Shaq Griffin (back) and receiver/return specialist Jamal Agnew (knee). Both players were injured during the team's 34-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6.

The team listed three players with a "questionable" designation, including receiver Marvin Jones Jr., linebacker Foye Oluokun and defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi. All three players suited up, though, with Fatukasi playing for the first time since injuring his quad against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.

Announced before kickoff, the Jaguars made defensive lineman Adam Gotsis inactive for the first time this season, opting to go heavier up front against Giants running back Saquon Barkley with Fatukasi and veteran defensive tackle Corey Peters. The rest of the inactive players were expected, including Agnew, Griffin, running back Snoop Coner and safety Tyree Gillespie.

This month, the National Football League is teaming up with the American Cancer Society to help fight cancer with the "Crucial Catch" initiative. Crucial Catch promotes the prevention and early detection of cancer. The NFL and ACS have had this partnership since 2009.

Today, the Jaguars used their contest against the Giants to promote the Crucial Catch initiative. The team placed signage in the end zone and on both sidelines with "Crucial Catch" and "intercept cancer," respectively.

Travis Etienne scores first career touchdown, rushes for over 100 yards

After back-to-back weeks of getting more than 100 yards from scrimmage, Jaguars second-year running back Travis Etienne scored his first career touchdown. The eight-yard run capped off a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive, Jacksonville's first of the game. Jacksonville took a one-point lead after going for two following a Giants offsides penalty on the initial point-after attempt.

Etienne's role with Jacksonville has steadily increased as the weeks have gone on. He's touched the football the same number of times as Robinson, 25 over the past two weeks combined. In the first half, Robinson carried the football just one time.

Etienne carried the ball six times for 43 yards and a touchdown while catching the ball once for five yards during the first half. However, a fumble following a 12-yard run near the end zone mitigated the positive drive Jacksonville had with about 3:30 remaining in the contest, ultimately taking at least three points off the board with Jacksonville leading 11-10.

Still, Jacksonville began the second half by giving Etienne the football. The second-year back immediately went for 49 yards, putting the Jaguars in a great field position early in the third quarter. Jacksonville took the lead, 17-13, following a quarterback sneak by Lawrence.

Etienne finished with 114 yards on 14 carries while hauling in one pass for 5 yards.

Giants lose three starters, including Evan Neal due to injury in first half

During the first half of the contest, the Giants lost two of their starting offensive linemen and their starting tight end due to injuries. That included rookie right tackle Evan Neal (knee), left guard Ben Bredeson (knee) and rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger (eye).

Second-year tackle Devery Hamilton replaced Neal, rookie guard Joshua Ezeudu replaced Bredeson as the left guard and fullback Chris Myarick took over for Bellinger after he was ruled out early in the third quarter of the contest.

Saquon Barkley rushes for 110 yards, Daniel Jones sets career high

Entering Sunday's game, all anyone talked about was stopping Giants running back Saquon Barkley, the league's second-leading rusher. Entering the matchup, Barkley had 119 carries (NFL lead) for 616 using yards and four touchdowns.

Throughout the week, Jaguars players and coaches mentioned the threat of Barkley, understanding they had to stop him in order to win the game. With five minutes left in the contest, Barkley had just 66 rushing yards on 18 carries, held without a score. He had four receptions for 25 yards.

Still, Barkley was able to get over the 100-yard mark with two minutes remaining in the game, ultimately getting 110 yards on 24 carries.

Though Barkley was largely ineffective for the Giants for three quarters, the Jaguars were unable to stop Giants quarterback Daniel Jones on the ground. Jones accounted for 11 rushes for 107 yards and a touchdown, gashing the Jacksonville defense on multiple occasions with read-option plays. That set a career-high for Jones in a game.

Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown a little after midway through the fourth quarter with around 5:31 remaining in the contest. The TD gave N.Y. a three-point lead.

Jaguars miss opportunities at crucial moments

Over the past few weeks, the Jaguars have had opportunities to turn the tides in games. Against the Houston Texans, Lawrence threw an interception at a critical moment in the contest as the team marched down the field and into the red zone.

Against the Colts, the Jacksonville defense had an opportunity to win at the end of the contest but allowed a late touchdown to give the Colts the 34-27 lead.

Against the Giants, the Jaguars suffered from the same mistakes, with two of those mistakes occurring on defense.

During the first quarter of the contest, Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen sacked Jones, forcing a fumble in the process. However, he was called offside, giving the Giants new life. Still, New York punted on the drive.

Late in the third quarter, Jaguars rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd picked off Jones, but it was called back after fellow LB Foye Oluokun was called for a roughing-the-passer penalty, giving the Giants new life. Though New York turned the ball over on downs, Jacksonville missed an opportunity to get the ball and momentum on their side.

The final missed opportunity occurred with Jacksonville running the football near the Giants' goalline. Etienne carried the football nearly into the end zone late in the second quarter to give Jacksonville the 18-10 lead heading into halftime. Instead, Etienne fumbled the ball, resulting in the Giants recovering it for a touchback.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Takeaways from Jacksonville Jaguars loss to NY Giants in NFL Week 7