After a solid start to their season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have continued to nosedive. They absorbed their fourth loss in a row after bowing to the New York Giants, 23-17, at home in Week 7. This defeat put the Jaguars in third place in the AFC South with a 2-5 record. Here we'll look at some takeaways from the Jaguars' loss in Week 7.

The Jaguars led the Giants 17-13 at the start of the fourth quarter. Jacksonville, however, couldn't stop its foes from scoring a go-ahead touchdown and couldn't score in the final seconds. With 16 seconds remaining, the Jaguars had a chance to win after a long completion combined with a “roughing the passer” penalty put them 17 yards from the end zone. However, two failed passes followed by a Christian Kirk catch at the one-yard line were insufficient to win the game.

Here are our four takeaways from the Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 7 loss vs. the Giants.

4. Doug a dud?

The Jaguars are 2-5 not because they are getting steamrolled by their opponents. Rather, it's because they consistently shoot themselves in the foot with costly mistakes, bad decision-making, and occasionally terrible play-calling.

For instance, the most crucial play against the Giants on Sunday was an end around to Christian Kirk that appeared to be enough for a first down but was ruled short. Head coach Doug Pederson chose not to challenge since he still had two downs to gain just one yard. They ended up going for it on fourth down instead of scoring a field goal to go up 20-13 in the fourth quarter. It proved to be a decisive mistake.

The Jaguars were also called for 13 penalties. Yes, THIRTEEN. Those included a baffling “12-men on the field” penalty near the end zone. Jacksonville also blew a timeout with only 10 players on the field. Those blunders all fall on Pederson and the coaching staff as a whole.

Does this mean Pederson is a dud? Not really. I mean, we're talking about a two-time Super Bowl champion and a former NFL Coach of the Year here. Still, the team could use some better adjustments in the next few games.

3. Captain Kirk shows up for Jaguars

Jaguars WR Christian Kirk has not been much of a contributor to the Jaguars offense this month. In fact, he has caught only seven receptions for 95 yards in three games.

Kirk, however, nearly equaled his previous three games on Sunday. He finished with seven receptions for 96 yards and a five-yard rush. He actually would have had a lot of passing yards if Travis Etienne hadn't caught a double pass in the last minute of the game. Additionally, the Jaguars might have ended their losing skid if Kirk had just one more yard on that last play.

Recall that the Jaguars spent a lot of money in the offseason to bring Kirk in. Not surprisingly, the offense has been at its best when it finds new ways to get him the ball. As of this writing, Kirk has amassed close to 470 all-purpose yards along with four touchdowns this season.

2. Travis Etienne Jr. ran them over

Travis Etienne's day wasn't ideal by any means. His blunder late in the second half transformed a large halftime advantage into a loss. Etienne also dropped what appeared to be a well-planned play on a double pass in the closing minute of the game.

Except for those two gaffes, Etienne was by far the Jaguars' most deadly offensive threat. He scored his first career touchdown and rushed for 114 yards on 14 attempts.

Etienne's day was perhaps most notable for how skillfully he ran between tackles. While that is normally considered RB James Robinson territory, Etienne appeared to be a back capable of handling all three downs.

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JR Malabanan ·

Robinson cannot be faulted for looking over his shoulder now that Etienne is turning a lot of heads.

1. Trevor Lawrence struggled but made some strides, too

He completed 22-of-42 passes for 310 yards against the Giants. He made pretty good reads and avoided turnovers. Sure, his progress would be more evident if the Jags had actually beaten the Giants. Also, Lawrence finished with a 74.8 passer rating. He failed to continue throwing like he did last week when he had a 113.1 passer rating. Still, the team's management remains optimistic about his long-term development. In a season where victories have been scarce, it should be regarded as a step in the right way.

The Jaguars' dismal record has obscured Trevor Lawrence's progress, especially in the previous two games. Sure, he hasn't had a game that makes you say “wow,” but as recently as three weeks ago, he turned the ball over an alarming five times. It was clear that the only direction for Lawrence was up.

Of course, we can also argue about how Lawrence isn't just another player. Some considered him a generational talent coming out of college.

On the other hand, comparing Lawrence to quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson, who all improved dramatically in their second seasons, is unrealistic. Do the Jaguars want Lawrence to compete at their level? Certainly, but you can't compare his development to theirs. Additionally, the coaching staff understands that every player is unique. What worked for one of them won't necessarily work for Lawrence.