Defense made the difference early, making critical stops, getting off the field after third down and occasionally coming up with a turnover that won the game (Denver). So what’s happened?

There is a little feeling of tightness among the Jaguars. Not as loose as the team that was rolling at the beginning of the year, but certainly not in a panic mode. The Jaguars stats look good enough to win, but they’re coming up short. When you look at an overall play-by-play of an NFL game, you can point to two or three plays that turn the game one way or another. In the last four games, those plays are going against the Jaguars. Whether it’s a punt return by Detroit, a fourth and one by Tennessee, or a fumble return for a touchdown by Minnesota, it’s those single plays that change how the game is played.

Early on, those plays were going in favor of the Jaguars. It’s almost if they have to re-learn how to win. Grind it out, make plays, convert opportunities into points and when you knock the other team down, knock them down again. Don’t let ‘em get up until the game is over. Against Minnesota, the Jaguars ran the ball effectively and Byron Leftwich’s return looked smooth enough. But as Del Rio likes to say they need “tighten some things up.” Across the board, on special teams, offense and defense, it’s a little ragged occasionally and that gives the opposition just enough wiggle room to get the job done.

Tied at 13 at the half, the Jaguars were a bit of a surprise to the Vikings, but Minnesota figured them out in the second half, and the Jaguars were slow to respond. Leftwich again spread the ball around, hitting nine different receivers while Taylor carried for over 140 yards on 22 carries. Those numbers should add up to wins. But the offense is bogging down when they have to score touchdowns (Taylor had none) and the defense is lacking that one big stop that can change the momentum of the game.

Of course, the Minnesota defense made the play of the day, stripping the ball from Leftwich and returning it for the clinching touchdown. There’s been lots of talk in his short career about Leftwich’s windup before throwing but it hasn’t been a factor this year. In fact, that fumble and subsequent turnover is the first time Leftwich has lost a fumble all season. It’s not comfortable watching the ball exposed in the pocket as much as Leftwich leaves it out there, but so far it’s worked. On the other side of that argument is all it takes is one or two of those turnovers at critical times and it makes the difference between making the playoffs and staying home in January.

In the grand scheme of things, this was supposed to be a loss for the Jaguars anyway, but a win would have evened things out from last week. Now with 5 games left, the team has home games against Pittsburgh, Chicago and Houston, and goes on the road at Green Bay and Oakland. From 6-5, 10-6 looks a long way away, especially with the remaining schedule. But teams that get hot in December are the ones that make noise in the post-season. A Sunday night game at home on national television is the right situation for the Jaguars to showcase who they can be.