JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There is a reason games like this have earned the title of "trap games." A good team, and the Jaguars are a good team, coming off an emotional win -- say an overtime win at home -- go on the road to face a struggling team and suddenly, they lay an egg.
The Browns are the NFL’s ultimate trap team. They are the only winless team in the NFL. They have been going through quarterback issues, have been outscored by 97 points this year and continue to be the butt of NFL jokes. Once again, they are the mistake by the lake. But that doesn’t mean that the Browns can’t beat the Jaguars. Only once in the past 40 years has an NFL team lost every game it has played. It doesn’t happen very often and it isn’t likely to happen this year. Somewhere, someday, the Browns will beat someone. The Jaguars just have to be sure that "someday" isn’t this Sunday.
“We understand what the circumstances are. The main thing for us is that we know we can win this game. We can’t take them lightly because of what their record is,” linebacker Myles Jack said. "They’re still NFL players who are getting paid. For me, I’m taking this week as seriously as possible. I’m treating this like we’re playing in the Super Bowl.”
It wasn’t that long ago that the Jaguars were the trap team. But at 6-3 and winners of three straight, that tag has changed.
“Now we’re the hunted. So we have to start beating the teams we are supposed to beat,” said Jaguars defensive tackle Malik Jackson. “That team might be 0-8, but they’ve been in a lot of close games. If you think you are going to waltz in there and walk out with a win, you’re sorely mistaken. We know that as competitors.”
So how could the Jaguars lose this game? It would be hard to imagine a Cleveland team which is averaging less than 16 points per game putting up big numbers on the Jaguars defense. But in cold weather games, turnovers can crop up in unexpected ways. One key will be for Blake Bortles to put last week’s two fourth-quarter interceptions behind him and take care of the football.
“After the game, anytime you win you’re excited; it’s hard to win in the NFL,” Bortles said. “So everybody is excited about that, but it’s definitely something as a quarterback when you do things like that they stay in the back of your head and you want to get them resolved and fixed.”
The Jaguars are dealing with injuries on the offensive line and Cleveland does have a defense that is led by a veteran defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, who served as the Jaguars defensive coordinator in 2008. He figures to have a game plan ready to try to stop the Jaguars running game.
“Their front seven is extremely talented. Very high motors, very good hands, very physical. The corners and safeties are all good tacklers. They tackle well,” said Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone. “You have to be able to play for him. You have to be very good from that standpoint. I think they’re just a very aggressive defense. They have always been difficult to go against. It has always been a challenge to go against him and they have good players on that side of the ball.”
The Jaguars are the prohibitive favorites in this game. And they enter as a confident group. If they play the way they are capable, there is no reason they should lose. But that’s why they call them trap games.
“As long as we prepare and play the way to win, play the way we know how, there isn’t a team that can play with us,” said linebacker Telvin Smith.
With a win, the Jaguars would earn their first seven-win season since 2010 and they will eat Thanksgiving dinner with at least a share of the division lead.