Sports Lowdown

The Houston Texans got their first win on the road Sunday, taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-21 on Sunday. The Jaguars (2-7) rallied late when Blake Bortles found Allen Robinson for a 14-yard touchdown with 2:17 left, capping an eight play, 92-yard drive and getting the Jaguars within a field goal.  Unfortunately for the Jaguars, despite a muffed kickoff by the Texans that forced them to start at their own six, Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler converted a third-and-5 with a 10-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins, ending the game. Jacksonville’s problems started much earlier, when Bortles threw a pick-six to Kareem Jackson on the fifth play of the game, 3:03 in. It was the second consecutive year that Jackson picked Bortles off and took it back for six. Bortles did bounce back on the next possession, going 75 yards on 13 plays. He threw a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Julius Thomas , tying the game at seven, with 5:14 left. The Texans answered with a 1...

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 Jaguars have played some bad games during their 2016 season and they’ve played a lot of bad games in recent years, but last Thursday’s 36-22 loss to the Tennessee Titans is near the top on both categories. The game has been covered by other media outlets, so it is pointless to go with our usual recap this long after the game, but it is not a stretch to say that the score was not even as close as the two-touchdown differential. The Jaguars were down 27-0 at the half and got whipped in every facet of the game. With 7:04 left in the first half, the Titans had 260 total yards to the Jaguars 29. No, that’s not a misprint. Tennessee scored three touchdowns in just over 7 ½ minutes in the second quarter, part of a 24-point quarter. On one of the Titans touchdown drives in the second quarter, the Jaguars defense had quarterback Marcus Mariota and the offense backed up in a 3rd & 15. Running back DeMarco Murray took the handoff and went 19 yards for a first down. Wh...

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...

The Jacksonville Jaguars had to leave the country to get their first win of 2016 on Sunday. The team made their annual pilgrimage to London and took down AFC South divisional opponent Indianapolis, 30-27. Quarterback Blake Bortles finally showed what he is capable of and did not commit a turnover. He threw for 207 yards, going 19-of-33, moving the ball down the field well for the most part. It was not a perfect performance, but it was his best of the season as a whole. He’s thrown for more yards, completed more passes this season, but he made costly mistakes in those games. Sunday, he stayed away from the big negative play. Head coach Gus Bradley discusses every week, that the team needs to play smart and not give up unnecessary penalties. It is easier said than done with this team. They committed 11 penalties for 145 yards Sunday and that kept the Colts in the game in the first half, at 17-6. The Jaguars first touchdown was set up by a Yannick Ngakoue interception of...

The Jacksonville Jaguars showed some promise in last week’s performance against the Green Bay Packers. In Sunday’s 38-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers, that promise seemed like a distant memory. Philip Rivers was in complete control throughout, while Blake Bortles missed throws, had no running game and dealt with guys not being where they were supposed to be. With Chris Ivory out again with a medical ailment, T.J. Yeldon was in his spot and for the second straight week and was almost invisible for the second straight week. With no running game to speak of, Bortles was forced to throw 50 times. The more you throw, the more chances you have to make mistakes and Bortles did, early.  With San Diego up 7-0 in the first quarter, Bortles started the third offensive drive for the Jaguars and it was like déjà vu. Bortles threw a pass over the middle, intended for Marqise Lee, he was unable to reel it in and the pass was tipped and intercepted. It was a carbon copy of the J...

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...