By the numbers: What did we learn about the Jaguars' Week 4 loss to the Eagles?
After two weeks of domination, the Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a setback against the Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) on Sunday, losing 29-21 in a game that featured far too many blunders and missed opportunities.
Nasty conditions featuring consistent rain, intermittent downpours, wind and chilly conditions clouded all of the perceived momentum Jacksonville (2-2) had going into their Week 4 contest.
The team, especially quarterback Trevor Lawrence, will hope that it was just a blip and not something that will define them moving forward.
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Here's a breakdown of some of the key stats and numbers that stood out during Sunday's win.
5: Trevor Lawrence hands the ball to Philly
Though the turnovers have already been mentioned ad-nauseam, it requires further perspective due to how disastrous and poorly timed all of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence's miscues were against the Eagles.
Lawrence fumbled the football four times while tossing one interception, the most turnovers he has had in his career.
On Monday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said if the plays that were left on the field were made, perhaps a different outcome would have occurred.
So let's take a look at the situations Jacksonville was in during the turnovers.
Fumble No. 1:
Field position: Philadelphia 34-yard-line
Down and distance: Fourth-and-3
Time in game: 13:34 remaining in second quarter
Score: Jaguars lead 14-0
Fumble No. 2:
Field position: Jacksonville 34-yard-line
Down and distance: Third-and-1
Time in game: 3:10 remaining in second quarter
Score: Tied, 14-14
Interception:
Field position: Philadelphia 16-yard-line
Down and distance: second-and-7
Time in game: 4:24 remaining in third quarter
Score: Eagles lead 20-14
Fumble No. 3:
Field position: Jacksonville 31-yard-line
Down and distance: Second-and-10
Time in game: 12:13 remaining in fourth quarter
Score: Eagles lead 23-14
Fumble No. 4:
Field position: Jacksonville 21-yard-line
Down and distance: First-and-10
Time in game: 1:54 remaining in fourth quarter
Score: Eagles lead 29-21
The Jaguars turned the football over twice in Eagles territory, effectively taking potential points off the board.
On the interception Lawrence tossed to Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, Jacksonville had an opportunity to take the lead, even after squandering it early due to the first two fumbles.
Fumble No. 1 was the other instance of points being taken off the board with Jacksonville driving and head coach Doug Pederson opting to go for it on fourth down. The Jaguars had an opportunity to go up three scores on that possession.
In history, the Eagles have come back from a deficit of 20 or more points just seven times, according to Pro Football Reference. Their most-recent comeback occurred in 2010 against the New York Giants when Philly came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Giants 38-10. If the Jaguars scored a touchdown, the likelihood of a comeback taking place was slim.
The Jaguars have never blown a 21-point lead in their history. The largest lead the team has blown is 17 points, four different times (Indianapolis Colts (2016), Eagles (2014), Carolina Panthers (2003) and Baltimore Ravens (2000)).
“Let’s hope it was a blip," Pederson said Monday. "I don’t think it was a setback, I think it was just a blip. I just think, you hate to say it, but maybe it's one of those games during the season where nothing really goes right. It happens. I’ll never make excuses, we have to do a better job of hanging onto the football, he knows that."
8: James Robinson doesn't see the ball much during loss
Against the Eagles, Jaguars running back James Robinson touched (caught pass or received handoff) the football just eight times, tied for his fourth-fewest touches in a game since he entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Robinson totaled just eight touches in Week 1 last season.
His other low-touch games occurred in 2021, including two games where he exited due to injury (Week 16, Jets (Achilles), three touches and Week 8, Seahawks, (heel), five). He received just six rushing attempts in Week 14 last year against the Titans.
Robinson carried the football eight times for 29 yards against the Eagles. After the game, Pederson cited a lack of overall touches for the Jaguars offense. The team had the ball for just over 20 minutes Sunday, giving few opportunities for playmakers to get the ball. Jacksonville finished with just 46 offensive plays.
Still, there were questions as to whether or not the Jaguars abandoned the run too soon, particularly in the third quarter when the team totaled just six runs, including three by RB Travis Etienne and one each by Lawrence, Robinson and receiver Christian Kirk.
Pederson said Monday there were attempts to move Lawrence around, giving him an opportunity to get out of the pocket as an extension of the run.
"They were blitzing the safety, making it a little bit harder to run the football," Pederson said. "So, we felt like our best opportunity was to get him out of the pocket, utilize a little play-action-pass, and try to get the ball moving that way.”
16: Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun remains steady
One of the prizes of free agency for Jacksonville was signing Oluokun this March. That signing has turned out to be a major win thus far, with Oluokun in a consistent position to make plays on the football from the second level of the Jacksonville defense.
On Sunday, Oluokun led the team in tackles with 16 (12 solos), tying career-highs in both categories. He added three tackles-for-loss through the day.
Though four games, Oluokun is tied with rookie LB Devin Lloyd for the team lead in tackles (38) and leads the team in solo tackles (28). His three TFLs are tied for the second-most on the team (Josh Allen, four).
#Jaguars LB Foye Oluokun led the team in tackles on Sunday with 16 (12 solo), including 3 TFL.
Here are a couple of his better plays. There were plenty more: pic.twitter.com/l6zJLbjyRR— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) October 4, 2022
His consistency has been one of the reasons why Jacksonville has two victories through four games, and though the team wasn't able to accomplish their goal against Philadelphia, his play ought to get some recognition and will be important to watch moving forward.
210: Jaguars give up far too many yards on the ground
The flipside of Oluokun leading the way with tackling is due to the number of plays the Eagles ran on Sunday (77) along with the Jaguars' inability to stop the run.
The Jaguars allowed 210 net rushing yards to the Eagles on Sunday. They've given up 210 or more rushing yards just 25 times in its history, including eight other times since 2019. It was ultimately what allowed the Eagles to appear to breeze through much of the contest, little doubt until the final minutes that they'd hold onto victory.
"Some of it was due to the quarterback (Jalen Hurts), most of it was due to the running backs," Lloyd said Monday.
The Jaguars were solid when defending Hurts, allowing the mobile QB to run for just 38 yards on 16 attempts. It was Eagles RB Miles Sanders that gave the team some headaches, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.
"They stuck to what they were doing, and I think we kind of got away from what we’re best at, which is really hanging our hat on stopping the run and just playing our style of football,” Lloyd said.
The Jaguars entered the week ranked No. 1 at stopping the run, allowing just 55 yards per game on the ground through three weeks. Now, the team ranks eighth in the league, allowing an average of 93.8 YPG.
9 - Andre Cisco gives Jaguars tie for 2021 takeaway total
The Jaguars had just nine takeaways all of last season. Through four games, the team has already tied that mark. That includes two fumble recoveries and seven interceptions.
Second-year safety Andre Cisco gave Jacksonville the ninth, securing a pick-six against Hurts and the Eagles to put the Jaguars on the board first. With nine total turnovers, the Jaguars rank fifth in the league, tied with the Buccaneers for most forced in 2022.
Ironically, Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell was the Buccaneers linebackers coach last season.
The Jaguars are currently on pace to finish with more turnovers than they did in 2017 (33). If they can keep up the good fortune on defense, perhaps they'll have a shot of making some noise near the end of the year.
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: Jaguars fumble vs. Eagles: A by-the-numbers look back at Week 4 loss
