Jaguars' Offense Stifled By The Saints In Week 6

The Jaguars (2-4) offense couldn't get rolling against the Saints (5-1) losing by a score of 13-6 on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL. Even the magic of rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew, known around the league for his "Minshew Magic", couldn't help the Jaguars' struggling offense that scored a season low in points against New Orleans.

"Offensively, we weren't in sync," Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone told reporters after the game. "We've got to do a better job there."

Minshew, who was held to 163 yards, completed 14 of 29 passes, was sacked twic and threw one interception. The rookie quarterback couldn't connect with one of his favorite targets, wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., and that was costly late in the fourth quarter.

"I was off. We're going to get that fixed," Minshew admitted.

The two teams were tied at six apiece late in the fourth quarter and Minshew was looking for Chark Jr. when Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore intercepted him.

"Yeah they put Marshon Lattimore on him but they also had a safety on him for most of the time. If DJ is one-on-one, I'll take him versus anybody" Minshew said. "When they start putting two guys, it gets tough. We got enough guys in that room that can make plays and we're going to do better."

This was a challenging game for the 23-year-old who was drafted out of Washington State in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Minshew is in the first year of a four-year contract worth $2.71 million he signed in May according to Spotrac.com. This year, he will earn a base salary of $495,000 and a signing bonus of $190,884, while carrying a cap hit of $542,721 and a dead cap value of $190,884 also per Spotrac.com.

While Minshew and Chark Jr. were contained, running back Leonard Fournette was held to 72 yards rushing. Veteran wide receiver Chris Conley weighed in on the remainder of the schedule.

"In the next couple of weeks, we have to really be able to put a full game together, you know. Offense, defense and special teams, me, speaking offensively, we have to be better," Conley noted. "We have to be able to adjust on the fly when they come out and they play something different from what we have been practicing. We have to take the sheets we see on the sidelines and then adjust our routes and timing to the defense. "

Marrone knows there is a need for improvement and he was quick to point to himself and his staff to make those adjustments.

"Now, when it comes to coaches, we've got to do a good job of scheming things up and getting guys open. That's where it comes down to us," Marrone admitted. "That's why when I say, not to be a martyr, 'Hey, we've got to do a better job,' we say things like that because we've got to do a better job and those guys have got to do a better job of getting open. It's not going to be just one thing or another."

Minshew also believes the team will get back on track offensively.

"Yeah, no doubt. Anytime we start getting momentum, I feel like we can do it every time," Minshew explained. "We're going to look back and kick ourselves because we know we can do it every time. We just got to get it fixed and be ready next week."

The Jaguars travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals next weekend.