JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For the fourth year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished with at least 11 losses.
For the fourth year in a row, their offense was ranked 29th or worse in the NFL.
That's no coincidence to Cecil Shorts III, their leading receiver each of the last two seasons.
"You look at the Packers offense, or the Patriots, or whoever has a good offense this year," he said. "They're consistent on third downs. They're consistent on first and second downs. So third downs are third and short. They're consistently scoring points and helping the defense out. We've got to figure out ways to do that."
In their final game Sunday, a 23-17 loss to the Houston Texans, the Jaguars were 0 of 11 on third-down conversions and held the ball for barely more than 20 minutes. The offense's only touchdown, a 23-yard pass from Shorts to running back Jordan Todman, came one play after a fumble recovery by defensive end Ryan Davis.
Except for the Oakland Raiders, no team averaged fewer yards a game than the 289.6 put up by the Jaguars on their way to a 3-13 finish. The last time they went over the 300-yard mark was in their 10th contest, a 31-17 loss in London to the Dallas Cowboys which was more one-sided than the final score would suggest.
While rookie quarterback Blake Bortles threw only three interceptions in the final six games after being picked off 14 times before then, he completed barely more than half of his passes in December and had just two touchdowns -- or one more than Shorts.
Their final drive of the season embodied the good and the bad about the third overall pick in the draft. Bortles had an 18-yard completion to Shorts on fourth down and scrambled 34 yards on the following play to give the Jaguars a first-and-goal situation. But an offense which ranked 31st in red-zone touchdown success, as well as in both total and passing offense, failed to reach the Texans' end zone on four tries.
The Jaguars finished with nine rushing touchdowns and 15 through the air, including 11 thrown by Bortles. Seattle's Marshawn Lynch ran for more TDs than them, and Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant caught more scoring passes than them.
Despite all their offensive shortcomings, the level of confidence in Bortles remains high.
"Blake's our guy," tackle Luke Joeckel said. "He's going to be a great player. Every single one of us believe that."
"He's our franchise quarterback," said middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, who missed the final nine games of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. "We know he's going to be the guy who's going to lead this organization. You saw glimpses of that throughout the year."
WHAT WENT WRONG
As was the case in Gus Bradley's first year as head coach, the Jaguars got off to an 0-6 start and lost nine of their first 10 games. The inability to protect the quarterback was frighteningly evident in a 41-10 defeat at Washington as Chad Henne, in his next-to-last start, was sacked a franchise record 10 times. The Jaguars ended the season giving up a league-high 71 sacks, eight more than the previous franchise record set in 2001.
The defense against the run was expected to be upgraded following the additions of free-agent linemen Red Bryant and Ziggy Hood. Instead, the Jaguars finished 27th in run defense, an improvement of just two spots from 2013. Part of that was due to the injury to Posluszny, a Pro Bowl selection a year ago.
Shorts and tight end Marcedes Lewis, the two veterans of note in the receiving corps, combined for only three touchdowns -- one after September. Lewis spent eight games on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain and wound up with a career-low 18 receptions.
LOW POINT
The first half of the home opener against the Indianapolis Colts.
Already reeling from the beating inflicted on them by the Redskins, the Jaguars trailed the Colts 30-0 at halftime as their offense managed all of 55 total yards and two first downs. Bradley had little choice but to yank Henne in favor of Bortles, who threw for two scores but also had an interception returned for a touchdown. The defense gave up more than 300 yards in the first half for the second week in a row, and the Colts finished with the fourth-highest total ever by a Jaguars opponent with 529 yards.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
Until his season ended with a foot injury, Denard Robinson was a pleasant surprise in only his second year as a running back. His 582 yards included 127 on 22 carries in a victory over the Cleveland Browns which finally removed the Jaguars from the ranks of the winless.
Undrafted Allen Hurns caught two touchdown passes in the season opener at Philadelphia and finished with 51 receptions for a team-high 677 yards and six scores. Another rookie wide receiver, Allen Robinson, had 48 catches before a stress fracture in his right foot ended his season in mid-November. Rookies Brandon Linder and Luke Bowanko became regular starters along the offensive line.
The defense was near the top of the league for much of the season in sacks and finished with 45.
HIGH POINT
Trailing 21-0 in the second quarter to the New York Giants, the Jaguars rallied for a 25-24 victory with the help of two defensive touchdowns and Josh Scobee's 43-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining. The win was viewed in New York as the final nail in the coffin of former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin, although he now seems to have gotten a reprieve.
MVP
Defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks.
Marks more than lived up to the four-year, $22 million contract extension the Jaguars gave him last December as he led the team with 8.5 sacks and was a leader in the locker room. Unfortunately for him, his season ended against the Texans with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee which could sideline him for the start of training camp, if not longer.
FREE AGENTS
OFFSEASON QUESTIONS
1. Will the Jaguars use the No. 3 pick in the draft on an offensive or defensive player?
After taking Bortles third last year and Joeckel second in 2013, logic suggests they would zero in on USC defensive lineman Leonard Wiliams, who declared himself eligible Monday. But after throwing almost everyone for a loop with their selection of Bortles, it might not be a bad idea to expect the unexpected.
2. Bradley's job security isn't in question. But what about his assistants, particularly offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch?
Some shake-up should be expected on a staff which had to go all season without offensive line coach George Yarno, who continues to undergo cancer treatment. But replacing either Fisch or quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo would create the sort of instability the Jaguars are hoping to avoid with the development of Bortles, who ended up completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 2,908 yards.
3. Do Shorts and Lewis figure into their future, and if not, how young will the offense be in 2015?
"I'm not sure how it's going to work out," Shorts said Monday after his fourth season with the team which drafted him in the fourth round in 2011. His situation appears similar to what running back Maurice Jones-Drew went through a year ago. Lewis, who will turn 31 in May, is as good as gone. Expect Bortles to throw a lot to Hurns, Robinson and Marqise Lee next season.
4. What can be done to fix the offensive line?
Joeckel admitted he needs to get stronger. Guard Zane Beadles admitted he needs to become more of a leader with so many young players around him. One thing is certain: Bortles can't get sacked 55 times again and expect to remain in one piece.
You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.
