JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It would be easier for the Jacksonville Jaguars to handle their latest double-digit loss had just a few things gone wrong at Washington.
Instead, it was nearly everything in a 41-10 drubbing Sunday.
The Jaguars (0-2) allowed a franchise-record 10 sacks, some of them self-induced by quarterback Chad Henne, and managed just 148 total yards. Center Jacques McClendon and right tackle Cam Bradfield were benched, rookie Allen Hurns dropped a sure touchdown pass on the opening drive and tight end Marcedes Lewis was lost for six to eight weeks with a high-ankle sprain.
The defense had major issues, too.
Jacksonville gave up 449 yards, including eight plays of 15 or more yards, and missed a stunning 21 tackles. And most of those came after Washington lost quarterback Robert Griffin III and receiver DeSean Jackson in the first quarter. The Jaguars allowed points on four of five drives in the second half, struggled again to cover opposing tight ends and benched linebacker LaRoy Reynolds and cornerback Dwayne Gratz.
“If people want to say, ’I’m disgusted with the way you played,’ well, I am too,” defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks said Monday. “This was the worst loss I’ve been through as a Jaguars player.”
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Although it wasn’t the most lopsided loss in coach Gus Bradley’s two seasons, it may have been the most disappointing.
The Jaguars thought they would be able to compete with Washington, which was coming off a 4-12 season and lost its opener 17-6 at Houston a week ago.
It turned out to be wishful thinking.
“There are going to be some changes taking place,” Bradley said.
Bradley won’t, however, be making a switch at quarterback when the Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Henne completed 14 of 28 passes for 193 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
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“After looking at the tape, I thought he had a tough day,” Bradley said. “He had 14 hits, and then on top of it, the missed assignments that we had at other positions. That’s the truth right now without evaluating anything, and if you’re asking me right now, yeah Chad Henne is our starter.”
Asked whether he was leaving open the possibility of making a change later in the week, Bradley said. “We haven’t even talked about that part of it.”
“It’s hard. I know what you’re asking, but I can’t answer that right now,” he added. “Right now, I can just say that was not part of our discussion. We looked at him and said we’ve got to do something with the protection regardless of who’s in there. We’ve got to get these things right. Those were discussions we’ve had up until this point.”
The Jaguars could get right tackle Austin Pasztor back at practice after he missed a month with a broken hand, and receiver Cecil Shorts III said he will practice Wednesday after missing two games with a hamstring injury.
Safety Johnathan Cyprien remains in the NFL’s concussion program, still not cleared for contact.
Lewis was on crutches and wearing a walking boot on his left foot Monday. He could end up on injured reserve with a designation to return, a significant loss considering the lack of experience the team has behind him.
Hurns also was in a boot Monday because of a sprained left ankle.
Bradley had no second thoughts about what happened leading up to Hurns’ injury.
Instead of running out the clock in a blowout, Henne threw a sideline pass to Hurns for a 3-yard gain on a fourth-and-16 play. Hurns was hurt during the tackle.
“I think that the message to our team is we’re going to compete every play,” Bradley said. “At the end of the game, in that situation, it was an unfortunate deal that took place, but that’s our mindset.”
The mindset now is how to bounce back from the team’s 20th double-digit loss in its last 34 games — 12th during Bradley’s 18-game tenure.
“It’s too early to push the panic button,” running back Toby Gerhart said. “It’s Week 2, we’re 0-2, two games on the road. Starting off against two good defenses on the road. We’re looking forward to playing at home, right the ship and get rolling.”
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