The Jaguars are literally fighting their way to the bottom of the AFC South

There were high hopes and lofty expectations for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016, but they were flushed pretty quickly by a 38-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers in Week 2. With a 33-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, the Jaguars dropped to 2-4 on the year, yet an implosion and two ejections tell a bigger story.

Two of the team’s biggest offseason additions, Malik Jackson and Jalen Ramsey, were both ejected when frustrations got the best of them in the fourth quarter. Jackson was tossed for a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties picked up within minutes and Ramsey was kicked out a little later for fighting Raiders wide receiver Johnny Holton.

A year ago Jackson was a member of the Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos and Ramsey was finishing his college career at Florida State, where he won a national championship during the 2013 season. Jackson was signed to a blockbuster contract in free agency and Ramsey was selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Those two, along with additions like Myles Jack, Yannick Ngakoue, Tashaun Gipson and Prince Amukamara, were supposed to fix the Jaguars’ defense and pair with an ascending offense. Instead, the team is good at just about nothing.

And clearly Jacksonville — now featuring players not used to losing — is struggling with its disappointment.

“You’ve got to keep your poise, keep your composure, and we lost our poise and it ended up affecting us,” Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said after the game. “It doesn’t matter what happens or how it came about. A good team can [not] get caught up in it.”

Following the loss, Bradley’s career record with the Jaguars is now 14-40. It’s a historically bad mark, but the team was patient during his early struggles due to the lack of talent on the roster. The wins were supposed to eventually roll in, and they haven’t.

“I know on both sides of the ball we know how much we put into this and how talented we are, so there’s frustration and pressing to make plays,” Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns said. “But we have to put that aside and play with a clear mind and try to get this thing rolling.”

A day later it didn’t seem like Bradley got things sorted out with his players. Ramsey told reporters Monday that he’d do the same thing again, even as he admitted the Jaguars coaches might not like that message:

Not one of Bradley’s first 12 wins came against a team that finished with a winning record and wins against the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears in 2016 don’t look like they’ll snap that trend.

Bradley’s lack of success already had him on thin ice and now he looks incapable of keeping the Jaguars’ most important players from losing their cool.