OC Press Taylor Placing Significance on Offensive Consistency

Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com John Oehser

JACKSONVILLE - Press Taylor sees a lot good in the Jaguars' offense.

What the Jaguars' offensive coordinator also sees through two games is a unit that can - and must -be better, and that's the goal entering Week 3.

It hasn't been all bad through two games, but it must be a lot better more often.

Taylor and defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen both spoke to the media Friday as the Jaguars (0-2) prepared to play the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (2-0) in an AFC game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Taylor discussed what quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the offense must do to improve in the wake of a disappointing 18-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday.

Trevor Lawrence threw for 220 yards and no touchdowns Sunday, saying afterward of the offense, "We suck right now." The Jaguars rank 26th in the NFL in points (15.0) and 22nd in yards (295.0).

Taylor on Friday also reiterated a point made by Head Coach Doug Pederson this week - that the offense's struggles on third downs have defined the season to date. The Jaguars have converted five of 19 third downs this season, running 50 offensive plays against the Miami Dolphins in a Week 1 loss and 55 against the Browns.

"Third-down conversions are a big part of trying to be able to continue to develop that consistency and that consistent momentum."

Nielsen on Friday lauded cornerback Montaric Brown, a third-year veteran who started in place of Tyson Campbell against the Browns this past Sunday. Brown, a seventh-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, led the team with 11 tackles - including two for losses - in his eighth NFL start. "He played really well; what a game," Nielsen said. "He was all over the place making tackles, tight coverage. He was everywhere. You could see his confidence grow throughout the game. He came in the building the last couple of days and the look on his face was really good. You continue to see that from him day in and day out. It wasn't a surprise that he played like that because that's what we saw him do in camp and in practice. We continue to see him get better."

Tight end Evan Engram on Friday missed practice for a second consecutive day with a hamstring injury. He missed this past Sunday's loss to Cleveland after sustaining the injury in pre-game warmups. Left tackle Cam Robinson was added to the injury report Friday as practicing limited with a knee issue. Running back Tank Bigsby (shoulder) and safety Darnell Savage (quadriceps) practiced limited for a second consecutive day. Bigsby left the Cleveland game with the injury and returned. Savage missed the Cleveland game.

Lawrence: "It's not fun being [angry] and wanting to get back out there. That's one of the worst parts about losing, especially when you don't play well on offense or individually or whatever it may be. You want to get back out there and right the ship and go correct it, and you wish you could play sooner. You want to go out there and make those plays that you missed or correct the mistakes that are easily correctable that you're irritated about. Whatever it is, you want to get back out there and do it right."

Wide receiver Christian Kirk: "It's just important to just block out the noise. It's the world we live in. When things are going great, everybody's all about you. They love you, they pick you up and they stand behind you and the second you fail, they'll be the first ones to be loud and proud, telling you how bad you are and how much you're failing. Don't play the game for other people's opinions and for them to talk so greatly about you play the game to win football games, especially for this organization."