The young Jacksonville Jaguars are still trying to figure out how to play at a consistently high level.
Following their upset win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, the Jags went to Detroit and got destroyed, losing 40-14.
"It's embarrassing, honestly, what we put out there in such a big game for us. I mean, that's the word to describe it. It's embarrassing," quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. "I mean, this is a playoff game for us and we go out there and laid down. Credit to them, those guys, those guys whooped us...
"It's just embarrassing, especially coming off a big win when you come out here and lay an egg. It just can't happen. We've lost eight games this year, and never have I felt like we got embarrassed like we did today."
Lawrence came off his best game of the season against Baltimore but couldn't continue that play against a Lions defense that entered the week ranked last in the NFL in yards allowed and last points given up. The QB finished with just 179 yards on 17-of-31 passing with a touchdown. He injured his leg on a sack late in the first half but didn’t miss a snap.
Jacksonville's offense couldn't consistently stay on the field, and with the defense getting torched for eight straight scoring drives by the Lions' defense, things quickly got out of hand.
"I don't think it has anything to do necessarily with playing on the road," Lawrence said. "We just got our ass kicked, so it really doesn't have anything to do with being on the road. But yeah, we have more road games this year than home games, so you've got to win your road games, and we haven't done that."
The Jags have seesawed between being a surprise and a disappointment in Doug Pederson's first season. Sunday's blowout marked the first game the Jags lost by 10-plus points this season, so it's not as if they're getting their teeth kicked in weekly. How they respond to the embarrassment with a road trip to Tennessee on tap will say plenty about the strides Pederson has made in building a culture in Jacksonville.