The Jacksonville Jaguars should have given Urban Meyer his first NFL win as a head coach Thursday night.
They jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead and looked to have the Cincinnati Bengals in check.
But Joe Burrow was still lining up under center for Cincy and the Jaguars defense could not stop him in the second half.
A last-second field goal gave the Bengals the win and Meyer could barely talk postgame.
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) October 1, 2021
On one end, it is good to feel like this after a loss.
It shows that Meyer cares and truly believes in his team.
Yet this is a bit dramatic because it is only Week 4.
He cannot let his locker room get so down this early in the season.
If that does happen, they stand no chance of winning at all this season.
Moving On Fast
The Jaguars now get some extra time to relax and prepare for the Tennessee Titans in Week 5.
Right away, they are facing a tall task to come away with a victory in that one.
But positive signs did emerge Thursday night and Trevor Lawrence made some plays that proved why he was taken No. 1 overall.
Meyer also let James Robinson work and the running back responded with 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Lawrence also ran it in for a touchdown as well.
So Meyer’s team is indeed showing signs of growth, even at 0-4.
That is all fans can ask for because this team is still very, very bad.
Every Monday for Urban Meyer for next 14 weeks pic.twitter.com/VvNYmhREna
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 1, 2021
Hence, having the No. 1 overall pick last season.
Meyer may have showed up with too high of expectations and 2021 should be a year of development for him as well.
So he cannot act like this loss to the Bengals was the Super Bowl.
Searching For A Win
So when will the Jaguars finally get a victory?
The only true “easy” game on the schedule is against the New York Jets and that comes the day after Christmas.
Before then, a Week 6 matchup against the Miami Dolphins and a Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts stand out as games they can win.
The Jaguars get their bye in Week 7, so taking down the Dolphins and heading into the bye with a win would be ideal, even if the overall record is 1-5.
Doing so should also let Meyer relax a little and not treat this like a college football season where one loss deserves such a devastating response.
The right idea is there, but the NFL will be too difficult for him if he can’t accept losing in the first year of a rebuild.
NEXT: Trevor Lawrence Going Through Major Growing Pains
