With Gardner Minshew throwing very well in each of the Jaguars first 4 games it is important for him to have all assets available. This means double for go-to receiver D.J. Chark and valuable down-field ability.

After missing week 3 with a chest/back injury, Chark came to play this Sunday in a week 4 battle against the Bengals. While amassing 95 yards on 8 receptions and totaling his 3rd career game with multiple touchdowns (2 in this game), the receiver still feels that, as a team, they can be better.

When asked if he felt like they got off to a strong start or not, Chark responded:

“I wouldn’t necessarily say a strong start because I feel like we can be better. I think we didn’t do bad at all. We moved the ball up and down the field. We have to capitalize on some of the plays, but with this offense, I feel like we have a the ability to move the ball up and down field whether it’s the first drive of last drive. We just have to figure out how to do it more consistently and do it every time.”

An area of critique was the struggles that the Jags’ offenses had when playing defenses with 2 high safeties. Chark provided input on the difference between struggling last year compared to the present.

“Last year, we struggled a little bit with two-high [safety]. This year, not as much. We moved the ball. Like in those two-minute situations, a lot of times, those are two-high safeties and we’ve been pretty efficient in our two-minute offense. It’s just [that] we have to get the time. Gardner [Minshew II] has to go through his reads. We have to get in our spots. It’s less room for error as opposed to one high safety, man [coverage]. If the route calls for you to be 16 yards deep, then you have to be 16 and that’s something that we can fix. But I don’t think we’re too bad at it. We’re getting better at it and I think we can be really efficient.”

The loss to Cincinnati brought the Jacksonville Jaguars record to 1-3 on the season. One can only imagine the slightly dreary feeling in the locker room that may have began to culminate after the defeat. Chark was asked to explain the attitude among his teammates.

“Well first, I want to say that the Bengals are a good team. I know the record may not show that, but Joe Burrow is a hell of a player and they have a hell of an offense and they’re not just going out there and getting beat 30 to 0. It was bound [to happen] that that team was going to get a win. Unfortunately, it was against us. The mood in the locker room is basically [that] we have to stick together and [ignore] the outside. I know we get home and we look on Instagram, we look at Twitter and a lot of times we are the laughingstock because people love making jokes when they’re not in the fire with us. But at this point, it’s forget them. When I go out there and play, I’m playing for those 53, 56 guys [on the roster]. I don’t care, I’m going to put my body on the line and that’s just what we have to do and I feel like that’s the feeling and if it’s not, that’s what the feeling is going to be. We just have to go out there. I don’t care if we win every game moving on or don’t win every game moving on, we’re not going to quite, for sure, and that’s the mindset we have to have. Somebody’s going to have to feel us.”