Jaguars vs. Browns Week 14: Slay or Bomb

The Jaguars vs. Browns matchup was one of the most frustrating games of the season for the Jaguars—a litany of turnovers and the Jaguars finding new ways to shoot themselves in the foot. In a matchup against one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Jaguars offense found some success. However, self-inflicted wounds have been one of the bigger issues of the Jaguars season, and in the Jaguars vs. Browns game, those issues reared their head.

Despite the plethora of self-inflicted wounds, the Jaguars did find success against a tough opponent. When the Jaguars have lost, it’s been difficult to find silver linings and players who slayed. But this week, the Jaguars vs. Browns featured multiple players that played at a high level, and are more than deserving of a Slay in week 14.

Jaguars vs. Browns: Slay

Evan Engram

With Christian Kirk injured, Trevor Lawrence had a lot fewer weapons at his disposal. Parker Washington has stepped up in a huge way for the Jaguars, but the most influential player for the Jaguars has been Evan Engram. Engram has completely taken a step forward since Kirk was injured. Engram had been contributing nicely to the offense, but he’s finally broken out for the Jaguars in 2023.

In the Jaguars vs. Browns matchup, Evan Engram was going against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Not only are the Browns a great defense overall, but the Browns are fantastic against tight ends like Evan Engram. But, Engram had a field day. On 12 targets, Engram had 11 receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. It was the most impactful day of Engrams 2023 season, and it came at a time when the Jaguars desperately needed a trustworthy receiver for Trevor Lawrence.

Engram was far and away the best player for the Jaguars in Cleveland and was the main reason why the Jaguars had a chance to win despite all of the mistakes being made around him. With the Jaguars vs. Browns matchup being one of the toughest matchups for Engram, his performance was a lot more outstanding than the stats show.

Antonio Johnson

Another player who put together a great day despite the circumstances was rookie safety Antonio Johnson. In the pre-draft process, Antonio Johnson was one of the more intriguing prospects. But, during the draft, he fell down the board to the Jaguars. It’s been a tough season for Johnson, battling injuries and trying to find his way on the field. But, with injuries in the secondary and gradually increasing playtime, Antonio Johnson got his chance.

In the Jaguars vs. Browns game, Antonio Johnson made multiple high-impact plays. Johnson had a sack and a forced fumble. Late in the third quarter, after the Jaguars went three-and-out after going down 21-7, Antonio Johnson made his high-impact play. Johnson sacked Joe Flacco, forced a fumble, and in turn, set the Jaguars up with short field position. With the short field, the Jaguars offense quickly put together a scoring drive to make it a one-score game.

In the Jaguars vs. Browns game, Antonio Johnson earned a 79.2 PFF grade for his overall defense, which includes an incredible 91.1 pass-rush grade. The emergence of Antonio Johnson is a massive upside for the Jaguars, as having young defensive players playing at a high level is huge for the Jaguars’ long-term outlook. Not only long term, but Johnson has proven his worth to the Jaguars and should be getting more reps as the season progresses, especially if the injuries to the defensive backfield continue to linger.

Andrew Wingard

Another player that is deserving of praise is Andrew Wingard. Wingard didn’t have a sack or a pick, but he did force a fumble. Similarly to Antonio Johnson, the forced fumble that Wingard caused came in Browns territory and led to a Jaguars touchdown to make it a one-score game.

While the Jaguars have been dealing with injuries to Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco, both backup safeties have been more than serviceable replacing them. Going back to PFF grades, Wingard had an 85.7 defensive grade, good for second highest on the defense.

Jaguars vs. Browns: Bomb

Adam Gotsis

It’s unfortunate, but one play is a back-breaker. Fans were more than angry with the mistake that Adam Gotsis made. Late in the game, with only six minutes remaining, the Browns lined up to punt. In the Jaguars vs. Browns game, at this point, the Jaguars had been struggling all day. But, with a chance to potentially get the ball back to either win or tie, the most brutal mistake occurred.

Adam Gotsis left early and earned an encroachment. It let the Browns get a much more manageable fourth-down attempt. The Browns then converted the fourth down and subsequently made the chances of the Jaguars winning minimal. It’s a brutal mistake, especially because of how unnecessary it was. Gotsis hasn’t been in the spotlight much in 2023, but this one play might be all he’s remembered for in the Jaguars 2023 season.

Trevor Lawrence

The Jaguars live and die by Trevor Lawrence, and after being injured during Monday Night Football, there was significant concern that Lawrence would miss the Jaguars vs. Browns matchup. But, Lawrence made an incredible effort and suited up against one of the top defenses in the NFL.

However, it was no surprise when Lawrence struggled. On 50 passing attempts, Lawrence had only 28 completions for 257 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. His day was marred by poor interceptions, two of which came in the second quarter. All of Lawrences’ interceptions were deep shots, which did limit the damage. However, turnovers against a terrific defense are mistakes that can’t be made.

Coming into the Jaguars vs. Browns matchup, Lawrence was dealing with various injuries and a banged-up receiving corps and offensive line. Trevor Lawrence was dealing with a lot of attrition before going against any defense, and with the Browns defense being one of the best it all combined to create an incredibly challenging matchup. While the Jaguars would’ve liked Lawrence to play better, the Jaguars did have a chance near the end of the game to pull through, which is more than many expected after the poor start from the Jaguars.

The Jaguars vs. Browns game didn’t end up being a loss due to Lawrence’s play, but if the Jaguars are to find success in the future against good defenses, Lawrence will have to put together a better performance taking care of the ball. Turnovers are killers, especially against a great defense and mediocre offense.

Blake Hance

Blake Hance is the unfortunate target of all the concerns about the offensive line. While his play didn’t absolve him from criticism, the entire offensive line struggled against the Browns. But, of all the offensive linemen, Blake Hance was far and away the worst.

For Blake Hance specifically, he was constantly allowing pressure. On 39 opportunities according to PFF, Blake Hance allowed an astounding eight pressures. Four of which were quarterback hurries, four being quarterback hits. These numbers are, to put it bluntly, terrible. Hance filled in for the injured Ezra Cleveland at left tackle. Down to their fourth-string left tackle, against Myles Garrett and one of the best pass-rushing defenses in the NFL, it was a recipe for disaster.

In the Jaguars vs. Browns game, Blake Hance put up one of the worst performances by any offensive lineman in the NFL in 2023. Blake Hance earned an 18.3 offensive grade. Most players will rarely ever see a single area of their game fall to the teens, but Blake Hance overall earned such a low grade.

But, that’s still far from the worst stat. Specifically, pass blocking, according to PFF Blake Hance was graded at an unfathomable 0.0. That’s not a typo, Blake Hance earned a zero grade from PFF. It’s one of the worst single-game performances by any player in 2023, and while he faced a tough matchup the staggering nature of his performance makes a zero grade seem reasonable. If there was one player who epitomized the definition of a bomb, it would be the performance Blake Hance had in the Jaguars vs. Browns game.

Jaguars vs. Browns: Final Thoughts

There’s no sugar-coating it, the Jaguars vs. Browns game was one of the most frustrating and disappointing of the season. In the middle of a gauntlet against the AFC North teams, the Jaguars have fallen to some of the easier teams to beat in the Bengals without Joe Burrow and the Browns with a lot of injuries across the board. Now, the Jaguars get to face the Baltimore Ravens, who are in a commanding position as the one seed in the AFC.

Despite the injuries plaguing the Jaguars, I still predicted that the Jaguars could beat the Browns, siding with my preseason predictions. And, if not for some late-game self-sabotage, the Jaguars might’ve pulled through. But, winning against a tough opponent on the road is incredibly challenging when dealing with so many injuries, turnovers, and mental mistakes.

Putting together the Slay or Bomb lists after losses is never fun, especially when certain players so drastically affect the outcome of the game like the players this week. But, there are still some positives coming out of the Jaguars vs. Browns matchup. The safeties, including the backups, are incredible. Evan Engram is emerging as a trustworthy target for Trevor Lawrence and has filled in nicely with Parker Washington the hole that was left by Christian Kirk.

Overall, the Jaguars have a lot of work to do to ensure a playoff spot, but thanks to the Colts and Texans struggling as of late, the division is still well within grasp. A full game ahead of the rest of the division, combined with potential tie-breakers means the Jaguars are in decent shape to take the AFC South even after back-to-back brutal losses.