There were a fair number of people who thought the Jaguars’ offensive growth last year and their defensive additions in the offseason put them in position to change their fortunes this season.
Through two weeks, those fortunes look to be pretty much the same. The Jags lost a close home game to the Packers in Week One and got thumped by the Chargers on the road in Week Two, leaving them with an 0-2 record for the third time in four years under coach Gus Bradley.
That’s not the right way to start a push for a playoff spot or make a strong case that Bradley’s job should be secure, although quarterback Blake Bortles argues that the players are to blame for how things have gone in the first two weeks. He puts particular blame on his own shoulders.
“He’s an unbelievable head coach, and we take full responsibility in everything that we’ve done,” Bortles said, via the Florida Times-Union. “I as a quarterback haven’t played well in two games, and our offense hasn’t played well in two games. For anything to change, I’m going to have to play better.”
Running back Chris Ivory is back at practice and his return to the lineup could give some life to the running game, but Bortles will need to cut down the turnovers (four in two weeks) and start finding Allen Robinson if the offense is going to start resembling the one that created optimism about this year. If those things don’t fall into place, there will likely be an increase in voices calling for the end of Bradley’s turn in Jacksonville.