LONDON – Head Coach Liam Coen again made the storyline clear.
The Jaguars lost a second consecutive game Sunday afternoon, this one 35-7 to the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium – and for a second consecutive week, the loss was defined by mistakes.
The Jaguars (4-3), who won three consecutive games before their current two-game losing streak, trailed 21-0 at halftime Sunday and trailed 28-0 before scoring their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter. They committed 13 penalties for 119 yards a week after committing 10 for 76 yards in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
“We just have to do better,” rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter said, with Coen adding: “You wouldn’t have guessed that we were here for a week prepared, ready to go play in this atmosphere by looking at it in terms of the way we started the game.”
The Jaguars on Sunday punted on their first three possessions, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence taking the first of seven sacks on the game’s first play. Lawrence said he missed Hunter across the middle on the play.
“It’s not like we didn’t have a good plan or anything like that,” Lawrence said. “Some self-inflicted wounds. If we can clean that up and just stay on schedule, we have to make those corrections and do it, but I think that’s where you are seeing the slow starts and then we’re getting behind.
“Against a good team like L.A., when you get down 14 points right away because you start slow and have some three-and-outs, it’s tough sledding from there. We have to find a way to get back to starting the game faster, on schedule, and just play ball.”
Coen said he emphasized during Saturday’s team meeting – a time he outlines keys to winning – the need to “stay on schedule” and to stay “balanced,” which means having manageable down-and-distance situations.