Jaguars see more to unlock in run game: What's missing?

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"I'd like to continue to see us be more explosive and get some explosive plays, specifically in the run game," Coen said Monday. "And I mean more like 15, 20-yard runs. I'm not saying we have to be hitting 30- and 40-yarders."

Still, Coen cautioned against becoming too aggressive while hunting up bigger gains. He wants more explosives out of the run game, but he emphasized the importance of maintaining the efficiency Jacksonville has already established rather than sacrificing it to chase big runs.

How the Jaguars can unlock more explosive runs

From running back Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s perspective, those opportunities are there. Speaking during the team's Week 7 bye, Rodriguez said he and fellow RB Bhayshul Tuten have discussed the yards they've left on the field, pointing to the need for more patience and better reads to turn ordinary gains into explosive plays.

"Oh man, it's there," Rodriguez said. "I mean, you just watch the film; like it's there."

Rodriguez said he and Tuten have discussed missed opportunities, including times when being more patient or reading beyond the initial defender could have led to bigger gains.

"If we just... slowed down a little bit, or had a bit more patience, or if we would have read it out all the way through ... not just reading out first read, but our second read, we'll have so many explosives," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also acknowledged that he has room to improve individually. After watching his own tape, he said he sometimes looks stiff and upright and believes he needs to loosen up and return to his natural downhill running style.

Still, Rodriguez credited the offensive line with much of the team's rushing success.

"The best runs is when you can get those guys off the ball and create a second line of scrimmage, and I feel like we've done a pretty good job of that," said Rodriguez.

Jacksonville's 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans Sunday showed the team's ability to move the ball on the ground without generating many explosive runs. The Jaguars ran for 106 yards on 27 carries, with Rodriguez leading the way with 55 yards on 11 attempts. Tuten added 39 yards on 12 carries, but neither back ran for more than 14 yards.

Coen felt the Jaguars ran effectively against Houston, though the game's circumstances limited how often he could turn to the rushing attack.

"I think I probably could have gotten more runs off," Coen said. "It's just we were down 10; we were kind of chasing points."

With Jacksonville entering its Week 7 bye, Rodriguez believes the running backs can use the break to focus on specific areas for improvement rather than trying to fix everything at once.

"There's so many yards that we left out there in this past game," Rodriguez said. "We can't get them back, but the only thing we do is learn from it, move on."

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky at Demetrius.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars see more to unlock in run game: What's missing?