Jaguars on the road again after success in London

Sep 26, 2017 - 7:11 AM Sunday was about as perfect a day in London as the Jacksonville Jaguars could have envisioned. From sunny skies producing temperatures in the low 70s to a nearly flawless game on the field in all three phases, it was Jaguars football at a level that hasn't been seen in quite some time.

The Jaguars' play in their 44-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens was especially pleasing to head coach Doug Marrone, who is always in search of solid play from all three of his groups -- the offense, the defense and special teams play.

The Jaguars held a 393-72 advantage in total yards after three quarters, and one play into the fourth quarter, they held a 44-0 lead as an example of how they dominated this game. At that point Marrone started substituting freely and cleared his bench, getting all active players for the game except third-string quarterback Ryan Nassib some game action.

Arriving back in Jacksonville around 2 a.m. on Monday, Marrone got a couple hours sleep at the Jaguars' facility before he was awoken at 5 a.m. when security began testing the alarms. He decided it was time to start reviewing game tapes, and was pleased with what he saw ... for the most part.

"The glaring concern are the penalties," Marrone said in a teleconference call with local media. "They seemed to come Sunday on big plays that we made, 10-12 yard runs. I think all three phases played well, but I won't say it was a complete game and that everything was perfect. But we're striving for that consistency and I really feel good about how all three phases played."

In addition to playing well, it appears the Jaguars escaped without any serious injuries. Marrone didn't address injuries on Monday, typically waiting until Wednesdays when the team is required to release its first injury report of the week. But only two starters -- wide receiver Marqise Lee and left tackle Cam Robinson -- missed any time, and both players eventually returned after incurring an ankle injury.

The win was the third in a row in London for the Jaguars and was easily the most decisive. They started their international play with a pair of double-digit losses to San Francisco and Dallas -

They then beat Buffalo and Indianapolis the last two years before Sunday's rout over Baltimore.

But the Jaguars had a bye following the previous four trips to London, and that's not the case this year. The Jaguars not only will play Sunday, but they have to travel to take on the New York Jets.

Marrone will continue to harp on the theme of consistency. He liked the way the team played in the opener at Houston, was not pleased with their effort last week against Tennessee but was very satisfied with the performance against the Ravens. The key is to put together back-to-back strong showings.

"I like the way the defense is playing together and feeding off each other. Our secondary is playing extremely well," he noted. "Whenever you hold a team to about 1.8 yards per pass attempt, that's an outstanding job. Putting pressure on the quarterback early really helps. We took some routes away from them on third down plays that helped as well. There are some things we need to clean up. But yesterday, I felt for the first time, guys were happy for each other making plays and having success. We need to embrace that and keep that going."

REPORT CARD VS. RAVENS:

--RUSH OFFENSE: B-plus -- The team total of 166 yards looks good on paper, especially on 35 carries, which amounts to a 4.7 average per carry. But considering that 58 of those yards came on a fake punt carry by Corey Grant, the rest of the team total drops to 108 yards in 34 attempts, which is just 3.2 yards a carry. Leonard Fournette was solid with 59 yards in 17 attempts and lost about 20 yards on two runs to Jaguars penalties. Chris Ivory didn't have the success he usually has, gaining just 17 yards in six carries. There were a couple third-down situations in which the running attempt came up short and left the Jaguars with just 3-of-12 conversion on third-down tries. Quarterback Blake Bortles continues to add an element to the running game, gaining 18 yards on three scrambles.

--PASS OFFENSE: A -- Blake Bortles was on his game in London, posting a 128.2 passer rating, the second-highest mark in his three-plus years with the Jaguars. His numbers were impressive with 20-of-31 passes (64.5 percent), 244 yards and four touchdowns. Just as important were the zero turnovers, matching his performance in the Houston win, and three fewer than he had in the Tennessee loss. The first thing head coach Doug Marrone mentioned in his post-game delivery was the fact the team did not turn the ball over. Bortles was on target in his throws, and with several of his accurate passes dropped and a few others thrown away on purpose. And this was against a Ravens defense that had picked off eight passes in its first two games.

--RUSH DEFENSE: A -- Sure, Baltimore rushed for 134 yards in just 25 carries (5.4 per attempt), but consider the circumstances. At the end of three quarters, Baltimore had just 72 yards of offense, split fairly equal between rushing (44) and passing (28) yards. It wasn't until the fourth quarter, when Jacksonville was substituting freely, that the Ravens had success, piling another 90 rushing yards in the final 15 minutes. The Ravens could not open holes on the Jaguars' front line, and the backs had no opportunities to break off a big run around end. Baltimore's longest rush was just 8 yards.

--PASS DEFENSE: A-plus -- When you hold a veteran quarterback like Joe Flacco to a career-worst 12.0 passer rating, you've done your job on pass defense. The Jaguars' secondary held Flacco to 8-of-18 passing for a total of 28 yards along with a pair of interceptions for three quarters. Backup Ryan Mallett had little success in the final 15 minutes, even when going against a second-team secondary as he had just 36 yards on six completions. Jaguars cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye bot came through with spectacular interceptions. Probably the most impressive number was that the longest Baltimore completion netted just 8 yards. A total of 14 completions netted just 64 yards which is less than 5 yards per catch.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus -- The grade was dropped a little just because Jason Myers' opening kickoff to start the game sailed out of bounds, giving the Ravens the ball at the 40. Myers atoned for his first bungled kick as he was perfect the rest of the game. He hit on his three field-goal attempts, converted all five extra points and placed all nine of his kickoffs deep into the end zone, none of which was returned. Punter Brad Nortman's five boots were good for a 50.0 average, none of which was returned. As a result the Jaguars kick coverage units were perfect, not allowing a return in 14 total kicks.

--COACHING: A-plus -- Granted the coordinators were making the calls for their respective units, so this grade is shared among the three coordinators and head man, Doug Marrone. Everything the coaches called for worked. A game in London requires a different approach, and Marrone was on target with his preparation. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett mixed up pass and running plays. Even special teams worked to perfection as evidenced by zero kickoff and punt return yards for the Ravens, and a 38-yard gain by Corey Grant on a fake punt call. The only concern with that call was the timing. The Jaguars were ahead 37-0 and heading towards an easy win, so they may have wasted a surprising play when it wasn't needed.