Jaguars @ Lions
Final Score: Lions 40, Jaguars 14
Writer: Justin Havelock (@HavelockJustin on Twitter)
This game was a showdown between the first and second overall picks of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first overall pick, outside linebacker Travon Walker, squared off against the Detroit Lions’ second overall pick, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
Both teams came into this game ranked top-10 in total offense, with a pair of comeback wins, and Jacksonville narrowly outpaced Detroit in one-score losses (6-5). Anyone that expected a close, back-and-forth football game was severely disappointed though. This matchup would have given your hair a shiny, voluminous look- because this was a full-on blowout.
The Lions were coming off ten days of rest after playing the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving Thursday, and they certainly looked well-rested. The Jaguars recently had their bye week in Week 11, however, so they simply looked unprepared for the Battle of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence: 17/31, 179 Yards, TD | 4 Carries, 32 Yards
C.J. Beathard: 2/3, 6 Yards
Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence faced consistent pressure from the start of the game by the Detroit Lions’ pass rush, specifically defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone. Under fire, Lawrence needed to be much more mobile in the pocket than he was in this game. Although he did start to use his legs more in the second half, his receivers could have performed much better in Week 13 if the 23-year-old had moved around in the pocket more and created lanes for them downfield.
On the final play of the first half, he took a low hit from behind for a sack. Lawrence’s leg jammed into the ground as he went down and he grabbed his left knee visibly in pain. The sack would bring the second half to a close as the Jaguars were already out of timeouts, which forced the clock to expire despite an injury on the play. Lawrence jogged out of the tunnel not long after the rest of his teammates in the second half. He struggled to put his full weight on the injured leg but ran up and down the sidelines before he came back into the game without having missed a play.
Despite the injury, the young quarterback posted more rushing yards in the second half than he did in the first (20 second-half rushing yards-12 first-half rushing yards). Both of those rush attempts in the second half came as he scrambled in the pocket. After he slid too early for a first-down conversion and instead created a 3rd & 1 situation, Lawrence converted on 4th & 1 as he rushed for a 12-yard gain to extend the drive. We never know what pain a player may wake up with when the adrenaline of an NFL game has worn off or whether or not they will re-aggravate the injury in practice during the week, but this was as encouraging of a sign as can be expected mid-game.
Veteran backup C.J. Beathard entered shortly outside of the final two-minute warning of the game since the Jaguars were down by more than three possessions. Lawrence appeared to be healthy enough to lead the final drive, there was merely no incentive to risk any further injury to the starting quarterback. Beathard only had three pass attempts while he battled against Hutchinson and the Lions’ pass rush unit, but two of his three attempts were underthrown. The 29-year-old quarterback also took a key delay of game penalty on 3rd & 1 that would have been extremely costly if this had been a one-score football game.
Running Back
Travis Etienne Jr.: 13 Carries, 54 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 12 Yards | 1 Fumble (Lost)
Snoop Conner: 1 Carry, 6 Yards
Travis Etienne left last week’s game with a foot injury after only two plays, however, he appeared to be healthy and picked up back-to-back carries on the opening plays of this game. Alex Anzalone recovered a fumble from Etienne on his second carry, but it’s worth noting that he made a 13-yard run on the play and accelerated quickly before the turnover. The 23-year-old running back had a 4.1 Yards Per Carry (YPC) against the Detroit Lions run defense.
Rookie running back Snoop Conner saw his lone carry with the rest of the Jaguars’ backups on the final drive of the game and broke a pair of tackles. The fifth-round pick should be watched closely over the coming weeks given that the backup role in this backfield has been in flux recently.
JaMycal Hasty set up the lead block on a Jamal Agnew carry, but the 26-year-old running back didn’t see any touches in this game. Despite a supposed breakout performance last week, Hasty was out-carried by both Agnew and Conner with only one rush attempt apiece. Since the trade in Week 7 that sent James Robinson to the New York Jets, Hasty has recorded only 2.7 YPC on 21 rush attempts and caught 10/12 passes for 68 receiving yards and a single receiving touchdown.
Darrell Henderson Jr. was inactive again in Week 13, this time after he missed Friday’s practice with an undisclosed illness.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Christian Kirk: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 104 Yards
Evan Engram: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 30 Yards, TD
Marvin Jones Jr.: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 17 Yards
Zay Jones: 7 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
Jamal Agnew: 1 Carry, 3 Yards | 1 Target
Luke Farrell: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Tim Jones: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Chris Manhertz: 1 Target
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk got back on track this week with his third 100+ receiving yard game of this season. At the end of the first quarter, the Detroit Lions defense got crossed up with Evan Engram as he ran over the middle which gave Kirk space to pick up the first down on 3rd & 6. Before going into the locker room at halftime, the Jaguars’ top receiver made a 25-yard catch-and-run on a Cross route in man coverage. The only downside to Kirk’s day was the fact that he only had one reception in the second half, however, he made it count as he caught a rocket of a pass from Trevor Lawrence and avoided the first tackle.
After coming up with a first-quarter red zone reception, Evan Engram dropped a pass as he fell to the ground in a contested catch situation against cornerback Will Harris. Engram’s up-and-down game continued into the second half as he converted a first down on 3rd & 7 but then struggled to secure a pass and Harris was able to punch the ball out for another incompletion. Later in the same drive, he was able to save his performance with a receiving touchdown. Kirk laid a block on 2nd & Goal that left Engram open for the score. Four out of his seven targets would come on this touchdown drive.
Trevor Lawrence finds Evan Engram for a Jags TD!
📺: #JAXvsDET on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/v9GIqhdjpD pic.twitter.com/MMGdiOfNlh— NFL (@NFL) December 4, 2022
It was a quiet day for Marvin Jones Jr. His first target wasn’t until inside the two-minute warning of the first half, on a contested catch against Harris that he managed to win for a 17-yard gain. A rare underthrown deep ball from Lawrence on 2nd & 11 was almost intercepted in the third quarter. Jones had separation and was ready to run into the endzone but instead had to turn around to play defense as he knocked the ball down and prevented the pick.
The tables were turned on Zay Jones in this game as he had fewer receptions than he had incompletions just one week ago. Jones had an unusually bad drop in the first quarter as he tried to make a one-handed catch and couldn’t come up with the football. After he was unable to complete a single pass in the first half, the veteran wide receiver caught both of his targets in the second half, including one in the red zone. The timing was definitely off between quarterback and wide receiver, however, consistent pressure from the pass rush on Lawrence, and plenty of tight coverage from the Lions’ secondary were what shut Jones down in Week 13.
Early in the first quarter, Jamal Agnew took the handoff on an end-around for a short first down after a lead block from JaMycal Hasty. In the second half, the 27-year-old wide receiver scored a two-point conversion on a double reverse play. Travis Etienne took the snap under centre, handed the ball off to Lawrence, and Lawrence tossed a quick pitch to Agnew as Etienne set up the screen for him to run straight into the endzone.
In for the 2-point conversion!#JAXvsDET on FOX pic.twitter.com/4EXdpYtPPC
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 4, 2022
The former Detroit Lion saw his only target from backup quarterback C.J. Beathard late in the fourth quarter. Beathard couldn’t put enough heat on the ball as the pocket collapsed around him and the pass went off of Agnew’s hands.
Yes, there is yet another wide receiver named Jones in Jacksonville. Sophomore Tim Jones caught an uneventful, short pass from Beathard inside the final two-minute warning. Shortly after, on 4th & 6, Hutchinson dialed up the pressure on the backup quarterback, and tight end Luke Farrell had to use his reach to bring it in as the throw was short. Veteran tight end Chris Manhertz was open for Lawrence in the first quarter, but Lawrence threw a high pass under pressure from Cominsky.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 31/41, 340 Yards, 2 TD
Nate Sudfeld: 2 Carries, -1 Yard
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jared Goff looked much closer to the Super Bowl contender that he was with the Los Angeles Rams than the quarterback that started for the Lions last season. Through his first two drives in the first quarter, Goff managed back-to-back seven-play touchdown drives. The 28-year-old also had a streak of nine consecutive completions throughout the first half.
Coming into Week 13, Detroit was fourth in the NFL with 38 points scored in the final two minutes of the first half, including three touchdowns in their last four games. While that came to an end versus the Jaguars, Goff and the Lions were able to score on all eight drives in this game. The Detroit Lions’ punt unit may have lost some money in incentives this week as they sat on the bench for the entire game.
Despite taking two sacks, Goff was not under much pressure by the Jaguars’ pass rush for most of this matchup. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell and the rest of the Lions’ offensive line held up quite well and gave their quarterback plenty of time to set up in the pocket.
Backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld took a knee on the final two plays of the game to run out the clock.
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 14 Carries, 62 Yards, TD | 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 49 Yards
Jamaal Williams: 11 Carries, 35 Yards, TD
Justin Jackson: 1 Carry, 4 Yards | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards
Jason Cabinda: 1 Carry, 4 Yards
D’Andre Swift had his best game since Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, highlighted by a 4.4 YPC. The 23-year-old led the way for the Detroit Lions’ offense with six implied touches in the red zone. One of Swift’s biggest plays of the day was at the start of the second quarter, as he caught a 24-yard pass on a blown coverage by the Jaguars’ defense. The versatile running back had plenty of room to run before a defender eventually forced him out of bounds.
Jamaal Williams struggled at times throughout the day and recorded only a 3.2 YPC. The veteran running back had an explosive run up the middle at the end of the first quarter, as he weaved his way through the Jaguars’ run defense and dodged several tackles for the first down. In fact, over the last two seasons, Williams boasts the second-highest first down percentage on rush attempts in the league (27%), behind only Indianapolis Colts superstar Jonathan Taylor.
Justin Jackson served as a pass-catching specialist out of the Lions’ backfield in Week 13. Early in the second quarter, Jackson was wide open but dropped a pass on 2nd & 6. The Detroit running back turned too quickly and was unfortunately unable to hold onto the football as he had plenty of room to pick up a first-down conversion. Fullback Jason Cabinda came in to rush for a short first-down conversion on a 2nd & 1, right before halftime.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 1 Carry, 2 Yards | 12 Targets, 11 Receptions, 114 Yards, 2 TD
DJ Chark: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 98 Yards
Brock Wright: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards
Josh Reynolds: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards
Kalif Raymond: 1 Carry, -6 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards
Shane Zylstra: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Jameson Williams: 1 Target
Detroit Lions’ superstar Amon-Ra St. Brown recorded his fourth 100+ receiving yard game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The young wide receiver suffered an injury early in the second half, while he completed a catch over the middle on a Slant route and ran straight into safety Andrew Wingard but somehow held onto the ball.
Amon-Ra St. Brown just got rocked https://t.co/ZH1d9cJEIV
— alex (@highlightheaven) December 4, 2022
Both players left the field with undisclosed injuries, however, St. Brown returned after only missing one play. Jared Goff went right back to him on 3rd & 9, and St. Brown flexed his talents with a quick double move on a 12-yard reception.
St. Brown extended the Lions’ final drive of the game twice as he turned a short, Flat route into a 15-yard catch-and-run and then later outran cornerback Darious Williams to grab a low pass. Both receptions produced a fresh set of downs on 3rd & long. The young wideout was rewarded for his hard work a few plays later when D.J. Chark laid a quick block that left St. Brown open for his second touchdown of the game.
Tupacca Wookies WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has the Gunslingers on upset alert! pic.twitter.com/koG1Kn1liN
— Mortal Kombat Fantasy Football League (@MKFFL) December 4, 2022
D.J. Chark had a revenge game against his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Late in the first quarter, he caught a 41-yard bomb from Goff to start his day. In man coverage against an injured Jaguars’ secondary, Chark built separation easily, eased off the gas as he tracked the football, and delivered on a contested catch as the defender tried to poke the ball out.
Chark diving! 🦈 #JAXvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/EQKVZL8zJJ
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 4, 2022
Chark’s only incompletion of the day came in a fourth-quarter contested catch situation against cornerback Tyson Campbell that likely should have drawn a flag as Campbell had an arm wrapped around him the entire length of the route.
Tight end Brock Wright caught a pair of first-down conversions. A tight end screen early in the first quarter allowed him to pick up several Yards After Catch (YAC). On the opening play of the second half, Goff scrambled in the pocket, stepped up, and threw a short dart to his tight end who worked his way to the next level for even more YAC.
After returning from a three-game absence due to a back injury and going untargeted last week against the Buffalo Bills, Josh Reynolds saw a declined role as he struggled to escape coverage from the Jacksonville Jaguars pass defense. Late in the first half, the veteran wide receiver adjusted on a simple Curl route to make the catch, but misread his quarterback and went in the wrong direction as the ball sailed well over his right shoulder. He had no targets in the second half, likely due to the Lions’ receiving corps being fully healthy for the first time all season.
Khalif Raymond caught the opening play for the Lions as he took a late hit on a high pass from Goff. In the fourth quarter, the Lions’ wide receiver was stuffed on a rush attempt. Goff faked a handoff to D’Andre Swift, who ran one way, while the quarterback gave the ball to Raymond who ran the other way and shed a couple of tackles before being brought down by a defender for a sizable loss.
Early in the fourth quarter, sophomore tight end Shane Zylstra jumped up to reel in a high pass on 2nd & 16. It’s also worth noting that wide receiver Jameson Williams made his NFL debut this week. The 21-year-old rookie’s only target saw him forced out of bounds by Darious Williams which kept him from making a play on an already low pass.