The Jacksonville Jaguars are trending downwards at the worst time of the year. With just two weeks left in the regular season, the Jaguars are in danger of falling out of the playoff race altogether. Thanks to losses and Jacksonville's 3-1 record over the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, the Jaguars are still winning the division. But with the Jags on a four-game losing streak and tied with the Colts and Texans, all having an 8-7 record, they are barely hanging by a thread to their division lead.

Their struggles became even more apparent during a 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which wasn't even that close. The Jaguars were held scoreless until the end of the third quarter and the Buccaneers rolled on offense, holding the ball for 37 minutes of the game compared to the Jaguars' 22 minutes. The Bucs are likely playoff bound, but they're far from the best team in the NFL. To be absolutely thrashed by a middle of the pack team is not good for the Jaguars' morale or belief this late in the season.

So why are the Jaguars struggling this much? Let's check out three of the reasons they've hit a late-season wall.

Their Defense is Struggling

The Jaguars defense is not playing well as of late. They've given up at least thirty points in three out of the last four games and allow an average of 358.5 yards per game. The Jaguars rank fourth-last in passing yards allowed per game and have been crushed by quarterbacks like Jake Browning and Joe Flacco. Earlier in the year when their defense was better, the Jaguars were forcing a lot of turnovers. They're still ranked fifth in the NFL in takeaways with 24 on the season, but just have one turnover in the past two games.

With players like Josh Allen and Travon Walker, the Jaguars have way more potential than they show on a weekly basis besides turning the ball over. Yet instead of forcing three-and-outs, the defense is regularly getting burned. If the Jaguars make the playoffs, they'll have a hard time of stopping their AFC foes with the way the defense is playing right now.

Their Offensive Line Has Not Been Playing Great

The Jaguars offensive line has notably contributed to the team's struggles, allowing four sacks in three of their four games. This is also putting Trevor Lawrence at risk of further injuries. Lawrence has particularly banged up over the past month, sustaining a knee injury, concussion and shoulder injury. Lawrence has somehow managed to play through all these injuries, but his play has not been effective.

The lack of strong offensive line play has also impacted the run game. Travis Etienne has averaged 3.6 yards per carry all season, and has practically been a non-factor as of late. Trevor Lawrence has led the Jaguars in rushing in multiple weeks, keeping Jacksonville from having a balanced offense and optimizing the playmaker they have in Etienne.

Their Offense is Inconsistent

Outside of their lack of strength in their run game or offensive line, the Jaguars offense is just inconsistent. Their receivers like Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones will randomly disappear for games, even when healthy. With all the weapons the Jaguars have, it should be a pick-your-poison kind of offense, but instead they settle for whichever play is available.

Lawrence is also a part of this inconsistency. There's a solid chance his play has been affected by the injuries he's sustained as of late, but he's missing too many throws and has thrown five interceptions over the past three games. The Jaguars offense as a whole is one of the leaders in giveaways, ranking fourth in the NFL with 28 turnovers on the season. It's not easy to sustain drives and succeed in the red zone when the team is regularly giving the ball away.

A general theme across the Jaguars is their talent is not playing up to the level they're capable of. They've spent good money in free agency and high draft picks on talented players, but these guys have not played up to their pay over the past month. The good news is the Jags have an easy remaining schedule with games against the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans. These are must-wins for the Jaguars to secure their ticket to the playoffs.