JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars wasted a defensive masterpiece on Sunday with an offense that just couldn’t move the ball.

With starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence sidelined with a shoulder injury, Mac Jones and the offense struggled in a 12-7 loss to the Vikings at EverBank Stadium.

The loss adds another disappointing page to the 30th season in franchise history, a season that has quickly become one of the most frustrating

The Jaguars obliterated Minnesota’s high-powered offense, holding the Vikings to just four field goals and picking off Sam Darnold three times. But Jacksonville (2-8) did nothing with those takeaways and had three killer turnovers in the final quarter to stifle any kind of heroic comeback from hometown hero Jones.

The Bolles School product had three turnovers in the final seven minutes, losing what Minnesota turned into a 29-yard field goal by John Parker Romo to make it 12-7. On the next drive, Jones tried to find Gabe Davis, but Byron Murphy Jr. took it out. The same goes for the final play, when Jones took a long look at Davis but was hit hard when he let go. Davis looked like he was running a different route than the quarterback expected and Camryn Bynum was easily intercepted.

Jacksonville tried to get it back one more time, but Travon Walker was called an unsportsmanlike penalty after a Jaguars stop on third down and the Vikings were able to kneel it from there.

It was an extraordinary achievement for the Jaguars. The defense has been one of the softest in the league all season, but that wasn’t the case against the Vikings. They toppled Darnold almost from the start by trying their hardest since last year.

Lawrence missed just the second start of his career with a left shoulder injury, giving Jones the first start of his Jaguars career. He delivered a 1-yard rushing sneak in the first quarter to put Jacksonville ahead 7-3, but things went bad after that.

The result was not unexpected. Minnesota was a touchdown favorite over the Jaguars, but

Tough day for Mac

Jones was acquired by the Jaguars in a trade with the Patriots this offseason after his tenure there ended on a sour note. He was called up to replace the iconic Tom Brady and ironically earned a playoff spot in his first season, finishing 14 spots in the first round behind Lawrence. But things went downhill from there and the Jaguars were happy to snag Jones as a low-risk reclamation project.

Jones’ best throw of the game came on a 19-yard grab to a diving Gabe Davis with just over five minutes to play in the first half that set up Jacksonville’s touchdown. But the passing offense was out of sync for most of the game.

Rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. wasn’t targeted until the third quarter and most of Jones’ throws were shorter routes. Thomas finished with just 12 yards on two catches. And Jones had a forgettable afternoon (14 of 22, 111 yards, 2 interceptions).

Defense is on its best game

Ryan Nielsen’s oft-criticized defense took action.

Foye Oluokun picked off a pass tipped by Sam Darnold to wipe away one of Minnesota’s best drives of the half that went to the Jaguars 30. Buster Brown made a diving interception in the end zone before halftime to kill another Vikings drive. Darnell Savage had Darnold’s third pick just seven times in the second half.

Former Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson was given an unnecessary roughness flag on that return when he knocked over Savage as he went out of bounds on the return. Robinson was dealt to the Vikings before the NFL trade deadline. A penalty flag nullified a fourth interception by the defense, a Ronald Darby pick. For a team that has had one of the league’s worst defenses all year, having such a performance against Minnesota was a positive step.