Sports Lowdown

From beginning to end, it was a game of missed opportunities and mistakes for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, in a 19-14 loss at Kansas City. Jacksonville turned the ball over four times and Kansas City got 13 points as a direct result of those miscues. The Chiefs (6-2) were held in check for much of the day by a game Jaguars’ defense, that held Kansas City to 231 yards. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, the home team took advantage of multiple short field situations and that was the difference. It was a much better performance offensively for Jacksonville, as they racked up 449 yards in total offense, including 126 in the first half. They had just 60 first half yards 10 days ago against the Titans. The running game was much better under new offensive coordinator Nate Hackett and will hopefully give Jacksonville something to build on, going forward. Jacksonville (2-6) had a chance at an interception early, but Prince Amukamura was run into by his own man and dropped ...

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders played one of the ugliest games in recent memory on Sunday, featuring three ejections, a combined for 239 penalty yards and poor offensive halves for each team. When the dust settled, the Raiders came away with a 33-16 win and it wasn’t even that close. Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski was 4-for-4 on Field goals in the game and helped the Raiders to a 3-0 lead at with a 26-yard field goal with 9:08 left in the first quarter. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles looked good on the Jaguars ensuing drive, using his feet for gains of 17 and 11 yards. Later in the drive on a 3 rd -and-7 from the Oakland 18, Bortles threw one into the end zone, intended for Marqise Lee, but the ball was picked off and Oakland took over. With 14:55 left in the second quarter, Janikowski was good again from 32 yards out, putting the visitors up 6-0. Jacksonville answered on the next drive, helped by a pass interference call and a 42-yard run by Chri...

The Jaguars offense was listless for the better part of three quarters on Sunday, but the defense kept them in the game long enough for Arrelious Benn to come up with a 51-yard touchdown catch , helping Jacksonville to a 17-16 win at Soldier Field in Chicago. Jacksonville (2-3) were down 13-0 in the second half and had a stretch where they ran 13 plays for 14 yards. Jaguars quarterback   Blake Bortles had two key turnovers including an interception in the end zone on the Jaguars first offensive drive and a fumble in the fourth quarter on s strip-sack from behind. Chicago (1-5) led 10-0 at the half and held the Jaguars to 97 total yards. It was as ugly as the numbers indicate for the Jaguars, who finally got on the board with 10 seconds gone in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Chris Ivory . The drive was helped immensely by a roughing-the-passer call against the Bears on third-and-7 at the Bears 47. It was a play that they should have run in the first quart...

Aaron Rodgers has done some amazing things on the football field during his NFL career. On Sunday, Jacksonville Jaguars fans got to see it up close and personal, as Rodgers’ heroics led the visiting Green Bay Packers to a 27-23 win at EverBank Field. The game was as well played as you could hope for in the opening week of the season and Jaguars fans have a lot to be excited about. Unfortunately, on this day Rodgers proved to be too much, constantly escaping pressure with his legs and of course, finding the open receiver with his arm. The Packers (1-0) got on the board early in the first quarter, following a Jacksonville turnover that was just bad luck for the Jags’ and quarterback Blake Bortles. He threw a pass that wide receiver Marqise Lee had bounce off his hands, off a Green Bay defender and into the waiting arms of Joe Thomas, who picked it off. Rodgers finished that drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars (0-1) got some bad news prior to the game when ru...

The Jacksonville Jaguars cut their roster to the required 75 players, ahead of Tuesday’s 4:00 p.m. deadline. James Sample was placed on injured reserve, while Nic Jacobs and Bjoern Werner were released. Those moves follow the earlier dismissal of LB Joplo Bartu, WR Shaq Evans, K Sam Ficken, CB Mike Hilton, RB Cameron Marshall, CB Demetrius McCray, P Ryan Quigley, WR Jamal Robinson, TE Nic Jacobs, DE Bjoern Werner, S Earl Wolf (waived/injured) were cut. Sample, who was injured last season, was hurt again in the preseason opener against the Jets. OL Jeff Linkenbach (concussion) were placed on injured reserve. OL Luke Bowanko and DL Jonathan Woodard were placed on PUP. There is one more roster cut coming, when the team must go from 75, to 53 by September 1 at 4:00 p.m. That final cut will likely include some familiar names, as the team was less than impressive in Sunday’s win against the Bengals . Yes, it’s preseason, but it was the third preseason game, which is th...

It is time for the Jacksonville Jaguars to walk the walk. It is the third year for quarterback Blake Bortles and head coach Gus Bradley is in his fourth. It was made clear by team owner Shad Khan before the end of last season, that things were going to have to turn around in 2016. Khan has been a man of his word since getting to Jacksonville, whether it was his plans for the team or upgrades to EverBank Stadium, he has followed through. There is no reason to think he won’t follow through on changing things up if this team struggles this season. Bradley was known as a defensive specialist when he took the job in Jacksonville, mainly because of the Seahawks defense he built in 2013 that allowed 15.3 points per game. Yes, that team had different personnel and at a lot of positions, better personnel, no one would argue that. The issue is, the Jaguars and GM Dave Caldwell have brought in defensive upgrades in the last two seasons. It has done no good. The Jaguars defense has...