Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars: Adjustments for a more efficient offense

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Jacksonville Jaguars offense has struggled this season, especially in the running game. Jacksonville needs to make some adjustments to become more efficient if they are to win the AFC South.

The Jacksonville Jaguars offense depends upon the passing game to move downfield. Jacksonville has a deep receiving corps that other NFL teams would dream to have. So far, the Jaguars have been efficient in distributing the ball to the different receivers.

The running game is not as efficient as the passing game. You can name almost any area that needs to be improved. Whether it is the offensive scheme, the lack of commitment to running the ball, or the running backs aren’t gaining momentum; something is not working.

Sabermetrics have entered the realm of NFL statistics. Rather than just providing raw data, sabermetrics defines data by value and efficiency. They define how efficient teams are offensively.

For example, we can look at red zone efficiency. How well a team performs, in the red zone, is now a staple statistically. Ever wonder how the Jacksonville running backs compare to other runners? Or how efficient each Jags drive is?

Three Areas Jacksonville Needs to Improve Their Offensive Efficiency (per Football Outsiders).

First, the Jaguars have been playing from behind all year. On average statistically, Jacksonville is losing by six (-6.46) on each possession, which ranks them at thirty-first. Jacksonville has struggled to score on their first offensive possession in 2016. Most noteworthy, New England leads this category with +7.16. (The NFL average is -1.18) The Jaguars must find a way to score early and often.

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Second, Jacksonville ranks above Cleveland and San Francisco in TOP/Dr or time of possession/drive. The Jaguars only use up 2:26 of the clock per drive on average. Running plays take time off the clock. Dallas leads this category with a TOP/Dr of 3.26, exactly one minute longer than Jacksonville. Jacksonville has got to run the ball more effective to be more offensively efficient.

Third, the Jaguars turn the ball over too much. Jacksonville ranks twenty-sixth in turnovers per drive. Their score is .161 while Minnesota is first with a score of .000. Jacksonville must reduce the fumbles and interceptions if they want to win the AFC South.

If the Jaguars are able to correct these areas, they will be playoff bound. Offensively, Jacksonville must start controlling the clock and eliminating turnovers each week. Jacksonville will score early and often on Sunday.

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