Moeller: For the Jaguars, It's All About Consistency

 Consistency.

Where you’re 6-4 after 10 games, you’re there, but you’re not quite there.

With seven games to play beginning in Arizona Sunday, the Jags seemingly have all the pieces in play.

But it’s about being consistent.

It has been an  overriding theme for the Jaguars’ season, even with their recent 35-6 lopsided victory over the Chargers in which they flexed their muscles on both sides of the ball.

Against Los Angeles, the Jags played well overall on both sides of the ball. Yet, there were still some lingering effects that have plagued them.

Trevor Lawrence threw another bad first-half interception, but he rebounded with a pedestrian 14 of 22 for 153 yards. Lawrence still needs to improve on his 59.8 completion percentage, which ranks him 33rd among 37 quarterbacks who have started this season through 10 games.

He has thrown an interception in his last three games , and in four of his last six.  Lawrence also has an unimpressive 11 to 8 touchdown to interception ratio.

Lawrence only played in 10 games last year, and had a 60.6 completion percentage with 10 touchdowns and seven picks. He threw for 2,045 yards, while he has 2,151 this season. 

Jaguars’ receivers have dropped a league-high 31 passes this season, and Brain Thomas Jr. has been in a sophomore slump with seven drops. Thomas, who may be back in Arizona Sunday, has caught 51 percent of his 59 targets, grabbing 30 passes for 420 yards with a score.

Last season through 10 games, Thomas had 37 receptions for 607 yards with five touchdowns. He caught 37 of his 56 targets.  

The Jags’ defense bounced back after four lackluster showings and once again showed the aggressiveness and purpose that marked their early success.

They’ll have to maintain the same level of a pass rush that hurried and rattled Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert 12 times and hit him six times. They recorded three sacks on Herbert  and limited the gunslinger to 81 yards. The Jaga' secondary looked strong again, but they may have lost Greg Newsome with an injury.

To the Jags’ defense credit, they reduced the Chargers’ power load to 135 yards.

One constant the Jags need to maintain is their running game behind veteran Travis Etienne and rookie Brayshun Tuten, who paced their running game to 192 yards and three touchdowns. It was a nice balance of Tuten’s 74 yards and two touchdowns , and Etienne’s 73 yards and one score. 

Tuten has run well all season, and has helped create a productive two-back tandem, and fellow rookie LeQuint Allen has looked good and can get more reps.

 Up front, the Jags’ line got Ezra Cleveland back, and they looked solid. They didn’t allow a sack after they were a turnstile the last four games allowing 20 sacks. 

Their performance against the Chargers was an overall sound effort without the usual red checks. 

Kicker Chad Little has primarily been a model of consistency, making 16 of 20 kicks and 24 of 25 extra points with his record 68-yarder earlier this season. 

Currently, the Jags have the seventh playoff spot, and they are in a good spot. They hold a tie-breaker against the Chiefs (5-5), who are in a must-win situation Sunday, and they could stay above Houston (5-5), which has Buffalo,  Indianapolis, and Kansas City in the next three weeks.

The Jags do have to keep an eye on rising Baltimore (5-5), which could still win the division over Pittsburgh (6-4). The two meet in Pittsburgh for the season finale.

Heading into Week 12, the Jags control their own destiny.

They also can control how consistent they can be.