Jaguars Roundtable: Will losing streak end in London?

With upcoming games against Seattle and Buffalo after their bye next week, the Jaguars are hoping to catch a break Sunday against the Miami Dolphins in London.

Though Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return after missing three weeks with fractured ribs, the Dolphins have lost four in a row and their top cornerback Xavien Howard won't play Sunday because of shoulder and groin injuries.  

The Jaguars are desperate for a win after starting 0-5 and having lost 20 consecutive games since last season, which is just six losses shy from tying the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 26-consecutive game losing streak, the longest in modern NFL history.

To break down the Jaguars chances, Florida Times-Union staff writers John Reid and Garry Smits and sports columnist Gene Frenette conducted a roundtable discussion.

Out of action:Jaguars LB Myles Jack won't travel to London because of injury

Tough to handle:K'Lavon Chaisson 'hurting' from Jaguars' 20-game NFL losing streak

Covering up:Jaguars secondary continues to struggle, even when stopping foes' top receiver

What must the Jaguars take advantage of or avoid to be successful against a 1-4 Dolphins team?

John Reid: Starting with the defense, the Jaguars must limit big plays by avoiding having glaring coverage busts. In last week's loss against the Titans, the Jaguars appear to have had confusion regarding what coverage they were supposed to be in. The Jaguars' most glaring weakness is their inability to defend underneath routes involving tight ends, who have taken advantage of open areas behind the linebackers and in front of the safeties. On the offensive side, coordinator Darrell Bevell must stop overcoaching. On Thursday, Bevell said he did not call a quarterback sneak for Trevor Lawrence on a fourth-and-goal play last week against the Titans because they didn't work on it enough in practice. The point is practicing the quarterback sneak would pretty much be a walkthrough drill because Lawrence is off-limits to be tackled. It's probably a good bet that Lawrence, who is 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, knows how to run behind his center or guard on a goal-line sneak.  

Gene Frenette: On paper, it’s hard to find a more favorable matchup for the Jaguars the rest of this season. Miami is slightly worse on defense than the putrid Jaguars, who at least have a formidable rushing weapon in James Robinson that should exploit the Dolphins’ awful run defense (133.6 yards per game). Quarterback Trevor Lawrence also has to take advantage of a shaky Miami secondary that could be either without cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones or them not being 100 percent. If the Jaguars don’t a win against a team with the NFL’s worst point differential (minus-75), then breaking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record 26-game losing streak is very much in play.

Garry Smits: Keep another bad team on the ropes on relatively unfamiliar ground. Miami was pounded by Tampa Bay 45-17 last week and is making its first trip to London since 2017 (Miami is 1-3 there). The Jaguars, in the meantime, have been there annually (except for last season when all London games were scrubbed) since 2013 and have more players familiar with the travel and practice routine than the Dolphins. The Jags should come out aggressive on both sides of the ball, try to hit big plays early and then keep the pressure on. What's to lose?   

Tight end Dan Arnold has made an immediate impact. How do you see his role developing going forward?

Reid: Arnold brings much-needed versatility to the offense because of his ability to catch intermediate passes over the middle. He caught six of eight targets against the Titans for 64 yards, averaged 10.7 yards per catch. If his primary receiver is covered, Lawrence needs an option like Arnold on his check-downs to connect with to help extend drives.  Though Arnold will be playing in just his third game Sunday since the Jaguars acquired him from the Panthers in exchange for cornerback CJ Henderson, his role is likely to increase significantly because they lack playmakers.  

Frenette: It’s only been two games, but acquiring Arnold in the CJ Henderson trade is so far looking like it might pay some dividends. Arnold’s production against the Titans (6 catches, 64 yards) was more than any Jaguars’ tight end since Niles Paul (7 catches, 65 yards vs. Kansas City) in 2018, which illustrates what a black-hole position it has been for this franchise. Arnold was a receiver at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville, where he also won a national championship in the 110-meter hurdles, so this undrafted guy has commodities of athleticism and speed. At 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, with Lawrence as his quarterback, it’s easy to envision Arnold becoming a favorable target and maybe a legitimate weapon moving forward. 

Smits: Ride that horse until he bucks. The tight end position has been such a black hole for the Jags that they should play Arnold as much as possible, target him as much as possible -- especially in the red zone -- and even spread him out and have him run deeper patterns. With DJ Chark still out, playmakers are at a minimum in the passing game and if Arnold continues his decent performances (six catches for 64 yards last week against the Titans), keep throwing to him.

Jaguars are playing in London for the first time since 2019. Do you think they will continue to play one home game per season in Great Britain or will it be something Urban Meyer will try to end?

Reid: Owner Shad Khan will continue to tap into the London market to help offset smaller revenue streams in Jacksonville compared to bigger market franchises. By playing annually in London, it allows the Jaguars to draw about 11% of their local revenue. That's something Khan wants to continue having to help meet his financial bottom line. 

Frenette: Deciding how much the Jaguars play in London or any other parts of Europe in the future is something that is probably above even Urban Meyer’s pay grade. Not that owner Shad Khan wouldn’t listen to his input if Meyer was adamant about not moving a home game there. But ultimately, this is Khan’s call because it’s more a business decision than a football decision. Khan has consistently said that one game in London is necessary to increase local revenue and stabilize the franchise in Jacksonville. I would expect the Jaguars to return to Wembley Stadium in 2022 and sign a multi-year deal with the NFL in the coming months to continue that tradition. Khan does a lot of business in London and likes the idea of putting his American toy on display there.

Smits: I get the sense that it might not be Meyer's favorite road trip if it continues to happen every season. He for certain didn't look happy this week during a news conference when asked about the possibility of adding another game in Germany, for a two-week European road trip. I really believe that if owner Shad Kahn and the city of Jacksonville is going all-out and spending hundreds of millions of dollars on hospitality and retail development on the river near TIAA Bank Field, it makes little sense, once it's finished, to take a home game or more out of Jacksonville. The Jaguars have done the NFL a solid by playing in London eight times in the last nine years. Let other teams step up.