Bullseye,  thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

 

Regarding the Jaguars,  I give the team credit with how hard they played.   Clearly,  the players were inspired by the tragic situation Telvin Smith is dealing with.   My best to him and his family.   Props to Paul Posluszny for attending the funeral of Telvin Smith's brother.  Great friend and teammate!

 

Even though Blake Bortles didn't play at a level the Jags need him to,   he displayed guts by playing hurt.   His decline this season goes well beyond the pounding he took today.  But I regained respect for him as a competitor.    The Jags overall played like they didn't use their injuries in the game as an excuse.  

 

I thought A.J. Cann had more problems than any of the Jaguars Offensive Lineman today.   Now that this game is over,  I'm certainly pulling for him to turn it around as his character is first rate, IMO.     Chris Reed,  who I know very little about,  made a very good block in space on a screen pass to Chris Ivory. 

 

The Lions have had huge problems covering opponent TEs this season.   Even prior to that.   Keeping Julius Thomas in check certainly was something that made things more difficult for the Jaguars to overcome.  

 

Abry Jones,  along with Marqise Lee looked like they had the best performances for the Jaguars today.   Jones'  pass deflection could have been a huge play.   In terms of run Defending DT's/ NT's against the Lions this season,   Jones'  performance might have been the best through 10 games. 

 

It looked to me that Telvin Smith was the player that probably got out of position on Eric Ebron's 61 yard completion.  But without knowing the coverage responsibilities,  this is only a guess.   The battle between Theo Riddick and Telvin Smith in pass coverage was probably the best matchup in the entire game when they faced each other.   Both are Pro Bowl caliber players in that facet of play.    I truly believe that Riddick takes a back seat to no RB currently in the NFL as a receiver.  

---