IN THE RANKINGS

The Jaguars’ team offense and defense rankings at each of the season’s quarter poles:

OFFENSE

Yards Points

Game 4 27th T18th

Game 8 17th 28th

Game 12 22nd 27th

Final 23rd 25th

DEFENSE

Yards Points

Game 4 6th 25th

Game 8 11th 25th

Game 12 4th 26th

Final 6th 25th

PLAYING TIME

OFFENSE (1,112 snaps)

QB: Blake Bortles 1,111 and Chad Henne 1.

RB: T.J. Yeldon 576, Chris Ivory 311, Denard Robinson 101, Corey Grant 99, Joe Banyard 13, Tyson Alualu 11 and Bronson Hill 6.

WR: Allen Robinson 1,047, Marqise Lee 817, Allen Hurns 635, Bryan Walters 321, Arrelious Benn 98, Rashad Greene 63, Shane Wynn 30 and Tony Washington 27.

TE: Julius Thomas 449, Ben Koyack 362, Marcedes Lewis 280, Neal Sterling 172 and Alex Ellis 124.

OL: Jermey Parnell 1,112, A.J. Cann 1,112, Kelvin Beachum 1,023, Brandon Linder 908, Patrick Omameh 453, Chris Reed 334, Tyler Shatley 316, Luke Joeckel 221, Luke Bowanko 70, Jeremiah Poutasi 18 and Josh Wells 11.

Four players started all 16 games: Bortles, A. Robinson, Cann and Parnell.

DEFENSE (1,075 snaps)

DL: Malik Jackson 717, Yannick Ngakoue 706, Dante Fowler 570, Sen’Derrick Marks 537, Tyson Alualu 509, Abry Jones 465, Jared Odrick 261, Sheldon Day 239, Roy Miller 203, Chris Smith 69, Jordan Hill 42 and Richard Ash 19.

LB: Paul Posluszny 1,057, Telvin Smith 1,048, Dan Skuta 272, Myles Jack 239, Hayes Pullard 28 and Arthur Brown 6.

DB: Johnathan Cyprien 1,070, Jalen Ramsey 1,059, Tashaun Gipson 1,040, Prince Amukamara 871, Aaron Colvin 292, Davon House 272, Josh Johnson 134, Peyton Thompson 84, Dwayne Gratz 84 and Jarrod Wilson 29.

Five players on defense started all 16 games: Jackson, Smith, Posluszny, Cyprien and Gipson.

MAKING/STOPPING BIG PLAYS

The Jaguars label any rush of at least 12 yards and any catch of at least 16 yards as an "explosive" play.

Offense: The Jaguars had 107 explosive plays (76 catches/31 rushes), down 13.7 percent from last year (124 — 99/25).

The Jaguars’ 34 offensive touchdowns (down from 40 last year) averaged 11.5 yards in length (down from 15.3 last year). The eight touchdown rushes measured 5, 1, 1, 2, 22, 57, 1 and 1 yards for an average of 11.0. Blake Bortles’ 23 touchdown passes (down from 35 last year) averaged 13.1 yards (down from 16.7 last year).

The Jaguars had only eight offensive touchdowns of at least 20 yards in length (down from 10 last year).

Defense: The Jaguars allowed 91 explosive plays (62 catches/29 rushes), a 18.1 percent improvement from last year (121 — 90/31).

The Jaguars’ defense allowed 37 touchdowns (down from 44 last year) with an average length of 12.9 yards (the same as last year). The opponents’ 20 touchdown passes averaged 16.2 yards in length, down from 29 for 16.9 last year. The opponents’ 17 rushing touchdowns (up from 15 last year) averaged 9.1 yards (up from 7.8 yards last year).

Opponents scored seven offensive touchdowns of at least 20 yards, down from nine last year. Among those touchdowns were four of 40-plus yards, down from five last year.

MISSED TACKLES

We booked the Jaguars for 96 missed tackles, a whopping 41.1 percent improvement from last year’s total of 163.

The Jaguars’ team game-by-game missed tackles: Green Bay (5), at San Diego (6), Baltimore (4), Indianapolis (3), at Chicago (8), Oakland (5), at Tennessee (15), at Kansas City (5), Houston (4), at Detroit (8), at Buffalo (3), Denver (3), Minnesota (13), at Houston (6), Tennessee (4) and at Indianapolis (4).

The Jaguars had only two double-digit missed tackle games, down from seven in 2015.

The individual totals: Telvin Smith 26, Paul Posluszny 17, Johnathan Cyprien 10, Jalen Ramsey 9, Dante Fowler 4, Aaron Colvin 4, Tashaun Gipson 4, Yannick Ngakoue 3, Davon House 3, Josh Johnson 2, Myles Jack 2, Sheldon Day 2, Sen’Derrick Marks 2, Dwayne Gratz 2, Prince Amukamara 1, Malik Jackson 1, Peyton Thompson 1, Tyson Alualu 1, Dan Skuta 1 and Abry Jones 1.

The single-game highs for missed tackles were by Telvin Smith — six at Tennessee and four vs. Minnesota.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

Top 10 tacklers: Paul Posluszny 133, Johnathan Cyprien 126, Telvin Smith 118, Jalen Ramsey 65, Prince Amukamara 49, Tashaun Gipson 41, Tyson Alualu 36, Malik Jackson 33, Abry Jones 32 and Dante Fowler 32.

Top five in pass break-ups: Jalen Ramsey 12, Telvin Smith 8, Prince Amukamara 6, Johnathan Cyprien 5 and Dante Fowler 5.

Double-digit tackle games: Posluszny 7, Cyprien 5 and Smith 1.

BLAKE BORTLES FILE

Distance of his 23 touchdowns: 22, 4, 15, 3, 11, 3, 42, 51, 9, 10, 5, 7, 1, 13, 5, 14, 3, 3, 20, 12, 14, 21 and 14 yards.

Passing yards: 3,905 (15th-most in the NFL this year and third-most in team history).

Completions/attempts: 368/625 (both single-season franchise records; in the NFL, he ranked 10th in completions and third in attempts).

Completion percentage: 58.9 (28th in the NFL).

Passer rating: 78.8 (26th).

Eleven of his 16 interceptions and four of his six lost fumbles came in Jaguars territory.

Three of Bortles’ interceptions were returned for touchdowns, bringing his career total to 11.

Passes in terms of how far they traveled in the air:

At or behind line of scrimmage: 86 of 125.

1-5 yards downfield: 136 of 183.

6-10 yards downfield: 64 of 110.

11-15 yards downfield: 48 of 99.

16 or more yards downfield: 34 of 108.

We booked the Jaguars for 27 dropped passes: Allen Robinson 8, Allen Hurns 5, Marqise Lee 4, T.J. Yeldon 2, Arrelious Benn 2, Julius Thomas 2, Ben Koyack 1, Chris Ivory 1, Alex Ellis 1 and Denard Robinson 1.

BORTLES UNDER PRESSURE

Opponents rushed at least five players on 216 of Blake Bortles’ 736 drop-backs this year (29.3 percent), down from 33.2 percent in 2015 and 31.6 percent in 2014.

The low percentage was 16.3 percent by Kansas City (8 of 49) and the high mark was the second Tennessee game (41.3 percent – 19 of 46). The Titans’ 21 blitzes (out of 60 drop-backs) in the teams’ first meeting was the most blitzes Bortles faced; the fewest in a game was six by Buffalo (out of 34 drop-backs).

When teams rushed at least five players, Bortles was 96-of-185 passing for 1,070 yards, seven touchdowns, four interceptions and 12 sacks – a passer rating of 73.02. Last year, Bortles had an 89.9 rating against pressure.

The Jaguars lowered their sack total from 51 last year (fourth-most) to 34 this year, which was 18th-most in the NFL.

Opponents had 19 sacks when they rushed four players.

PROTECTING BORTLES

This year for the first time, we charted quarterback pressures and hits in addition to sacks.

Player Sacks QBP/QBH Total

Jermey Parnell 7.5 21.5 28.5

Kelvin Beachum 5 22 27

A.J. Cann 4 17.5 21.5

Patrick Omameh 1.5 9 10.5

Brandon Linder 2.5 8 10.5

Chris Reed 0 8 8

Tyler Shatley 2 2 4

Luke Joeckel 1 2 3

n We booked four sacks on Bortles.

n Allowing one sack apiece were Neal Sterling, Julius Thomas, Chris Ivory, Ben Koyack, a coverage sack and an unblocked player. Denard Robinson allowed a half-sack.

APPLYING PRESSURE

The Jaguars’ defense rushed at least five players on 141 of 639 drop-backs for a rate of 22.1 percent. In 2015, the Jaguars blitzed on 26.6 percent of the drop-backs.

The low percentage was 3.4 at Buffalo (1 of 29 drop-backs) and the high percentage was 38.3 percent in the first Houston game (10 of 33). The Jaguars’ season-high blitz total was 18 at Houston (in 52 drop-backs).

The Jaguars’ 33 sacks were tied for 19th in the NFL and down from 36 last year (which was tied for 20th).

The breakdown (by number of pass rushers): Three players — 2; four players — 23; five players — 2; and six players — 4.

The individual breakdown:

Player Sacks QBH QBP Total

Yannick Ngakoue 8 5 16 29

Malik Jackson 6.5 11 8 25.5

Dante Fowler 4 9 10 23

Sen’Derrick Marks 3.5 6 1 10.5

Paul Posluszny 1.5 2 5 8.5

Tyson Alualu 2.5 4 1 7.5

Telvin Smith 1 0 4 5

Jared Odrick 1 0 2 3

Other sacks: Johnathan Cyprien 1, Aaron Colvin 1, Sheldon Day 1, Chris Smith 1, Myles Jack 0.5 and Josh Johnson 0.5.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Where the Jaguars ranked to the NFL leader in several statistical categories:

25-yard pass completions: 1. Washington 45; 30. Jaguars 19.

40-yard pass completions allowed: 1. Oakland/Tampa Bay 16; T5. Jaguars 12.

Pass attempts: 1. Baltimore 679; 4. Jaguars 626.

Yards after the catch: 1. New Orleans 2,439; 14. Jaguars 1,904.

Interceptions for: 1. Baltimore/Kansas City/San Diego 18; 32. Jaguars 6.

Lost fumbles: 1. San Francisco 15; 4. Jaguars 13.

Intended receiver (targets): 1. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay, 173; T7. Allen Robinson, Jaguars, 151.

Passes not caught: 1. Allen Robinson, Jaguars, 78.

Fumbles lost: T1. Blake Bortles, Jaguars/Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay 6 apiece.

Tackles: 1. Bobby Wagner, Seattle, 167; T8. Paul Posluszny, Jaguars, 132.

TAKE AND PROTECT

The Jaguars finished 30th in turnover ratio (minus-16 – 13 takeaways and 29 giveaways), down from 29th in 2015 (minus-10) and 25th in 2014 (minus-6).

During one stretch, the Jaguars committed 12 straight takeaways.

Opponents scored 69 points off Jaguars’ turnovers and the Jaguars scored 30 points off their takeaways.

The Jaguars were 1-8 when they lost the turnover margin (the lone win was Week 6 at Chicago), 1-2 when they won the margin (the lone win was Week 4 vs. Indianapolis) and 1-3 when it was even (the lone win was Week 16 vs. Tennessee).

The Jaguars’ seven interceptions were last in the NFL and their six opponent’s fumble recoveries were tied for 24th.

The Jaguars’ 13 takeaways: Interceptions — two apiece by Jalen Ramsey (at Houston and vs. Tennessee) and Telvin Smith (at Houston and at Indianapolis) and one apiece by Tashaun Gipson (vs. Baltimore), Yannick Ngakoue (vs. Indianapolis) and Paul Posluszny (vs. Baltimore). Fumbles recoveries – Johnathan Cyprien (at San Diego), Denard Robinson (muffed punt by Baltimore), Ben Koyack (muffed punt by Detroit), Telvin Smith (at Detroit), Malik Jackson (vs. Minnesota) and Sen’Derrick Marks (at Indianapolis).

The Jaguars went without a takeaway in eight games, including five consecutive games (Weeks 6-10).

Off their 13 takeaways, the Jaguars averaged only 2.3 points per turnover and scored one defensive touchdown (Ramsey interception return vs. Tennessee).

The 29 giveaways: Sixteen interceptions and six lost fumbles by Bortles, three lost fumbles by Chris Ivory and one lost fumble apiece by Rashad Greene, T.J. Yeldon, Marqise Lee and Bryan Walters.

The Jaguars had at least one turnover in 13 of 16 games.

Opponents averaged only 2.4 points per takeaway and only 1.8 if Bortles’ three pick-six interceptions are removed from the tally.

PLAYING COVERAGE

Tracking the Jaguars defensive backs when they were targeted in man coverage:

QBs vs. Jalen Ramsey: 49 of 91 for 585 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions (71.9 rating). We booked Ramsey for 12 pass break-ups (the league had him at 14).

QBs vs. Prince Amukamara: 41 of 69 for 531 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions (93.3 rating). Six pass break-ups.

QBs vs. Aaron Colvin: 8 of 18 for 68 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions (54.6 rating). No pass break-ups.

QBs vs. Johnathan Cyprien: 20 of 38 for 249 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions (82.0 rating). Five pass break-ups.

QBs vs. Davon House: 18 of 21 for 238 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions (153.5 rating). No pass break-ups.

Including interceptions, the Jaguars had only 13 pass break-ups in the first eight games, but 34 in the last eight games. Multi-PBU games were by Amukamara (at Kansas City, at Indianapolis), Ramsey (vs. Denver, at Houston and vs. Tennessee), Cyprien (vs. Tennessee) and Telvin Smith (at Houston and at Indianapolis).

FLAGS FLYING

The Jaguars’ 129 penalties were a single-season franchise high and second-most in the NFL behind Oakland’s 147. The Jaguars’ 1,178 penalty yards were also second to Oakland (1,251).

Just two years ago, the Jaguars had the league’s fewest penalties (73) and penalty yards (573). Last year, the Jaguars ranked tied for 17th in penalties (105) and 20th in yards (880).

Individual leaders: Jermey Parnell 10, Kelvin Beachum 10, Dante Fowler 8, Blake Bortles 7, Johnathan Cyprien 7, Jalen Ramsey 6, Davon House 5, Malik Jackson 5, Jared Odrick 5, Myles Jack 4, Sen’Derrick Marks 4, A.J. Cann 4, Alex Ellis 4, Carson Tinker 3, Prince Amukamara 3, Luke Joeckel 3, Neal Sterling 3, Tyson Alualu 3, Peyton Thompson 3, Marqise Lee 2, Allen Robinson 2, Arrelious Benn 2, Patrick Omameh 2, Josh Johnson 2, Dan Skuta 2, Brandon Linder 2, Hayes Pullard 2, Marcedes Lewis 1, Tashaun Gipson 1, Sheldon Day 1, Telvin Smith 1, Chris Ivory 1, Yannick Ngakoue 1, Josh Wells 1, Arthur Brown 1, Allen Hurns 1, Jason Myers 1, Brad Nortman 1, Chris Reed 1, Denard Robinson 1, Jarrod Wilson 1 and Tyler Shatley 1.

Paul Posluszny wasn’t called for a penalty in 1,057 snaps. Ramsey had six penalties declined. Cyprien led the team with 88 penalty yards.

In the first three years under Gus Bradley, the Jaguars had only one 100-yard penalty game (114 last year against New England); the Jaguars had three this year — 145 vs. Indianapolis, 112 vs. Oakland and 114 vs. Minnesota. They were called for 10 or more penalties in five games — 14 at San Diego, 11 vs. Indianapolis, 13 vs. Oakland, 14 vs. Minnesota and 12 at Houston.

The longest enforced penalty: Cyprien pass interference (35 yards) against Indianapolis in Week 4.

The most common penalties: Offensive holding 29, false start 20, unnecessary roughness 10, defensive pass interference 9, defensive holding 8, defensive offside 8, unsportsmanlike conduct 6 and delay of game 6.

In 64 quarters of play, the Jaguars had only seven penalty-free quarters.

RUN-GAME STRUGGLES

A year after ranking 27th in rushing (92.1 yards per game), the Jaguars moved up slightly to 22nd (101.9 yards per game).

The Jaguars’ eight rushing touchdowns were tied with Houston and Tampa Bay for second-fewest in the NFL, ahead of only the New York Giants (six).

Rushing attempts: 1. Dallas 499; 24. Jaguars 392.

Rushing touchdowns: 1. Buffalo 29; T29. Jaguars 8.

Rushing first downs: 1. Buffalo 146; 29. Jaguars 75.

10-yard plus rushes: 1. Buffalo 77; T21. Jaguars 41.

First-and-10 rushing yards: 1. Dallas 1,314; 18. Jaguars 820.

Percentage of rushing plays: 1. Dallas 49.4; 26. Jaguars 37.3.

Explosive run play leaders (at least 12 yards): Blake Bortles 10, Chris Ivory 9 and T.J. Yeldon 9. Five of Bortles’ explosive rushes were scrambles.

We put the Jaguars on the books for 89 "bad rushes" — carries that gained one or fewer yards not counting short-yardage conversions/touchdowns.

The breakdown: A.J. Cann 19, unblocked player 19, Kelvin Beachum 11.5, Brandon Linder 8.5, Ben Koyack 8.5, Jermey Parnell 5.5, Chris Reed 3.5, Julius Thomas 3.5, Luke Joeckel 3, Tyler Shatley 3, Patrick Omameh 2 and Alex Ellis 2.

Cann’s total jumped from 10.5 as a rookie to a team-leading total this year. Parnell has only 10 "bad run" plays in two years with the Jaguars.

The Jaguars had only two 100-yard individual games: Ivory gained 107 at Kansas City in Week 9 and Corey Grant gained 122 at Indianapolis in Week 17.

When the Jaguars gained at least 100 yards rushing, they were 1-5.

IN THE RED ZONE

The Jaguars’ offense was 11th in red zone touchdown percentage – 60.0 (24 of 40), up from 53.7 percent last year (29 of 54). Tennessee led the NFL this year at 72 percent (36 of 50).

The offense was 100 percent vs. Baltimore (2 for 2), vs. Houston (2 for 2) and at Buffalo (2 for 2). They lost all three games.

The loss to Denver represented the only time in Gus Bradley’s tenure the Jaguars didn’t run a single red-zone snap.

In the red zone, Blake Bortles was 37-of-65 passing for 233 yards, 18 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 91.2 passer rating. The Jaguars did not give up a red zone sack.

The Jaguars’ defense was tied for 15th in red zone touchdown percentage (54.5); opponents scored 30 touchdowns in 55 trips. Last year, the Jaguars allowed touchdowns on 61.4 percent of the opponents’ red zone trips. The Giants led this year at 39.5 percent (17 of 43).

Opponents who were 100 percent in the red zone: Indianapolis (2 for 2), Houston (2 for 2) and Buffalo (3 for 3).

In the red zone, opposing quarterbacks were 42-of-74 passing for 243 yards, 14 touchdowns, no interceptions and a 102.6 passer rating. The Jaguars had three red-zone sacks.

DRIVE ENGINEERING

Not including end-of-half/end-of-game kneel-downs, the Jaguars had 183 offensive drives.

Three-and-out (punts only): Forty-one (22.4 percent).

Ten-play drives: Twenty-seven (14.8 percent). The Jaguars scored 119 points on these possessions.

Started in opponent’s territory: Ten (5.5 percent). The Jaguars scored 40 points on these drives. The lack of field position is a product of few turnovers and minimal damage in the return game.

Five-minute drives: Thirteen (7.1 percent).

At least 65 yards during drive: Twenty-eight (15.3 percent).

THIRD DOWN OFFENSE WOES

The Jaguars ranked 29th on third down (35.3 percent); they were 26th last year (35.1 percent).

The offense converted 78 of 221 chances.

The rate was 50 percent of better in only two games (both losses): vs. Houston (10 of 17, 58.2) and at Buffalo (8 of 15, 53.3).

The poorest third-down efforts were at San Diego (2 of 11, 18.2 percent) and at Chicago (2 of 10, 20 percent).

A breakdown:

3 or fewer yards to go: 28 of 53, 52.8 percent (52.2 percent last year).

4-7 yards to go: 37 of 89, 41.6 percent (52.2 percent last year).

8 or more yards to go: 13 of 79, 16.4 percent (21.4 percent last year). The Jaguars started 4 of 37 in this category in the first eight games.

The Jaguars needed eight or more yards on 35.7 of their third-down chances, down from 40.9 percent in 2015 and 48.6 percent in 2014.

The Jaguars longest third-down conversion were five third-and-10 situations.

THIRD DOWN DEFENSE: IMPROVEMENT

The Jaguars’ defense improved from 31st on third down (46.3 percent) last year to eighth this year (37.1 percent — 83 of 224).

Opponents converted at least 50 percent in four of the first seven games — Green Bay (7 of 14, 50 percent), San Diego (7 of 13, 53.9 percent), Indianapolis (9 of 17, 52.9 percent) and Tennessee (9 of 15, 60 percent) – but none after.

The Jaguars’ best games of third down defense were at Kansas City (the Chiefs were 1 of 14) and Denver (the Broncos were 1 of 13). The Jaguars lost both games.

A breakdown:

3 or fewer yards to go: Opponents were 28 of 56, 50 percent (65.9 percent last year).

4-7 yards to go: Opponents were 34 of 75, 45.3 percent (41.3 percent last year).

8 or more yards to go: Opponents were 21 of 93, 22.6 percent (40.9 percent last year).

The longest third-down conversion allowed was to Houston — a 17-yard run on third-and-16.

SPECIAL TEAMS RECAP

n The Jaguars were called for a whopping 33 special teams penalties (enforced and declined).

n Leaders in special teams snaps: Hayes Pullard 330, Jarrod Wilson 323, Arrelious Benn 307, Peyton Thompson 284, Dan Skuta 239 and Myles Jack 203.

n K Jason Myers: 27 of 34 on field goals (79.4 percent, a dip from last year’s mark of 86.7). … Five of his seven misses came from beyond 50 yards. … He had field goal make streaks of seven, eight and seven in a row. … Myers’ misses came from 54, 52 (blocked), 54, 41, 61 (blocked), 30 and 54 yards. … After missing a league-high seven point-after attempts in 2015, was 29-of-32 on PATs this year. … Myers’ 110 points were 18th in the league. … On kickoffs, 64 of his kickoffs reached the end zone and he had 60 touchbacks (fifth in the league). … Opponents started inside their 20-yard line after kickoffs only twice (fewest in the league).

n P Brad Nortman: Ranked 22nd with a 39.5-yard net average, the same as Bryan Anger did last year. … Nortman’s 77 punts tied for 10th-most. … His 78-yard punt against Indianapolis was tied with the Rams’ Johnny Hekker for the longest in the league this year. … Had 27 punts inside the 20-yard line, which ranked 13th. … Best game net-average was Week 1 against Green Bay (62.1); his poorest was 12.7 against Houston. … Punted at least three times in 15 of 16 games.

n Special teams tackle leaders: Thompson 9, Corey Grant 6, Wilson 6, Benn 5, Pullard 4, Arthur Brown 3, Denard Robinson 3.

n The Jaguars finished last in punt returns (5.5) a year after finishing first (11.6) and were eighth on kickoff returns (23.8) a year after finishing 20th (23.3).

n The Jaguars’ longest punt return was 42 yards by Rashad Greene and the longest kick return was 100 yards by Marqise Lee (touchdown). The Jaguars used three punt returners and five kick returners.

n The punt coverage team ranked 31st (12.5) and the kick coverage unit was 11th (21.0).

Compiled by Ryan O’Halloran, The Times-Union