by John OehserFiled under: Jaguars, AFC South
Following a 34-17 loss in the regular-season finale, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said there were many things that concerned him.His job security wasn't among them.
The Jaguars, after entering a Week 15 game against Indianapolis needing a victory to secure their first AFC South title, instead lost their last three games to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
Del Rio, finishing his eighth season without a division title, was asked afterward if he was concerned about his job security.
"I'm only concerned about seeing that being a lead idea for your stories," Vic Ketchman of Jaguars.com quoted Del Rio as saying. "I feel we're a better team this year. In the end, we just weren't good enough."
The Jaguars, who started last season 7-5 before a four-game season-ending losing streak, indeed played better in spots this season.
They played two of those games without Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who rushed for 46 yards on 15 carries in a 34-24 loss to Indianapolis in what turned out to be his final appearance of the season. Jones-Drew will undergo meniscus surgery this week, and the Jaguars also played the regular-season finale without quarterback David Garrard. Trent Edwards passed for 140 yards and a touchdown with an interception Sunday.
Rashad Jennings rushed for 108 yards in place of Jones-Drew, but it was the defense that particularly struggled Sunday, with the Texans registering 497 total yards, including 244 rushing.
"Just a shame we couldn't play better defense today when it was called for -- that really bothers me," Del Rio said. "We got handled a little bit where we think we are strong. They handled us pretty good. They knocked us around more than we're accustomed to. Our front got handled by their front. I'm stunned we didn't play better. They won the battle of the hitting."
The Jaguars entered the game needing a loss by the Colts to have a chance at the AFC South title. Had the Colts lost to Tennessee, a Jacksonville victory over Houston would have gotten the Jaguars in the playoffs.
The Colts beat the Titans, 23-20, on a last-play, 43-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri.
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