Perhaps the most surprising outcome of Week 6 was the Dallas Cowboys hanging 40 points on the Jacksonville Jaguars defense.
Dak Prescott found receivers wide open seemingly all game. His favorite target, Cole Beasley, routinely galloped through green grass, picking up first-down after first-down, becoming the first Dallas Cowboys wideout to earn 100 receiving yards on the season (9 catches, 101 yards, 2 TDs).
In the past two weeks, the Jags have given up 70 total points. Seventy.
Allowing the highflying Kansas City Chiefs to put up 30 points when your offense turned the ball over five times seems excusable.
Giving up 40 to an offense that came in averaging 16.6 points per game (30th in the NFL), however, is unforgivable within the Jags' locker room.
"Never seen nothing like it," safety Tashaun Gipson said, via The Florida Times-Union. "So many miscommunications. That's every guy on this defense that was involved in a big play, a miscommunication on Sunday. That's very uncharacteristic. This is the NFL. Guys are going to make a bust or two. But every time we were having busts, they were exploiting it.
"And for the score to be 40-7 to the Dallas Cowboys, that offense, you can't do it, man. You can't do it. We say we're the best defense, but where is it?"
Miscommunications and breakdowns have been more common than they should for a Jacksonville defense loaded with talent.
Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Myles Jack, Telvin Smith, etc. versus Cole Beasley, Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson and Geoff Swaim? On paper that looks like a heavy mismatch in favor of the Jags. In real-life, Prescott whooped up on them with his legs and arm.
"We have not played well," coach Doug Marrone said. "It's a challenge. Is it a concern? Yes. I'm not going to stand here and say, 'Hey, everything is fine. We will be OK.' We are not. But, in saying that, the only way you go ahead and get through this stuff is you've got to work harder."
The Jags' defensive struggles have been stark the past few weeks in contrast with their expectations.
Jags D Weeks 1-3: 14.7 PPG allowed; 286.3 YPG; 171.0 pass YPG
Jags D Weeks 4-6: 27.3 PPG allowed; 326.7 YPG; 204.7 pass YPG
"The first thing we are looking at is, are we giving them too much? Meaning, are there too many things going on within a play?" Marrone said. "If you are struggling with that type of communication, then we have to make sure that we pull it back or do a better job."
Despite the recent troubles, the Jags still rank No. 3 in Football Outsiders' DVOA metrics.
The Jags' struggles the last couple weeks are a microcosm of a league in which it's fast becoming impossible to defend. It's just more stark to watch a team like Jacksonville looking like warm butter to an offense's knife.
With a home tilt versus division rival Houston Texans on tap, Marrone's defense needs to turn it around in a hurry or watch those preseason Super Bowl aspirations circle the drain.
