JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) \u2014 It\u2019s difficult to identify long-term building blocks on Jacksonville\u2019s roster.<\/p>\n
When coach Liam Coen took the job in January, he pointed to a talented foundation that included quarterback Trevor Lawrence, receiver Brian Thomas Jr., cornerback Tyson Campbell and defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.<\/p>\n
None of them has played particularly well through seven games, and Campbell already has been traded.<\/p>\n
The remaining four \u2014 all former first-round draft picks \u2014 will need to deliver at a much higher rate for the Jaguars (4-3) to regroup from consecutive losses<\/a> and gain ground on Indianapolis in the AFC South following a bye week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot, absolutely not, go back and try to reinvent the wheel here,\u201d Coen said. \u201cEverything\u2019s ahead of us. We\u2019ve got to play cleaner football. That\u2019s the reality. Until you play cleaner in between the whistles, in between the white lines, playing more fundamentally sound, having better situational awareness, executing and handling the controllables, that\u2019s where we\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jaguars have been penalized 83 times for 528 yards, both tops in the NFL, and have had another 18 penalties declined. They have drawn double-digit flags in four games.<\/p>\n The past two have been particularly eye-opening, a 20-12 home loss to Seattle<\/a> in which the Seahawks dominated both lines of scrimmage and a 35-7 drubbing in London<\/a> at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n The Jags committed a combined 24 penalties and allowed a combined 14 sacks in those games<\/a>, raising doubts about Coen\u2019s belief that he has a smart and physical team.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have not played our best the last two weeks going into the bye,\u201d Coen said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a great feeling, but everything\u2019s ahead of us.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd my thing to this team is, \u2018Man, guys, we have done so many good things. We are a really good football team, but not when we hurt ourselves.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Equally troubling: the Jaguars\u2019 top talent has failed to play to its potential.<\/p>\n Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, has completed a career-low 58.7% of his passes for 1,620 yards, with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has a lost fumble.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been plagued by a league-leading 25 dropped passes, including eight by Thomas. The 23rd overall pick in 2024, Thomas caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. He made the Pro Bowl and looked as if he was the solution to the franchise\u2019s decades-long search for a No. 1 receiver.<\/p>\n But he seems much more hesitant this season, especially when going over the middle, where he\u2019s short-armed at least three attempts.<\/p>\n Coen responded by getting rookie Travis Hunter and Parker Washington more involved<\/a> against the Rams. Hunter played 67 of 77 offensive snaps, and Washington was on the field for 68. Thomas, meanwhile, played 51.<\/p>\n Hunter finished with eight catches for 101 yards and his first NFL touchdown<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to play the best 11 as much as humanly possible after this bye,\u201d Coen said.<\/p>\n