JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars are 2-9 and on the verge of another double-figure season in losses under owner Shad Khan. The offense hasn’t found consistency and has regressed since the bye week.
There’s a trip to the West Coast on Sunday to face the Rams (7-4) on tap. The Jaguars have already pulled one major upset this season when they beat the Bills. Is another shocker in store? Here’s what Jacksonville needs to do to emerge with its third win of the season.
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Keep it low scoring
The Jaguars’ inability to score points has been a topic of conversation throughout the season. They haven’t scored more than 23 points in a game this year. They’ve scored 30 points or more just twice in their last 43 games. Not a misprint.
The Rams are averaging 27.2 points a game and have Matthew Stafford slinging passes all over the field. It goes without saying that the Jaguars are ill-equipped to get into a firefight with the Rams. Jacksonville’s defense is further along at this point in coach Urban Meyer’s tenure. The 9-6 win over Buffalo showcased just how good this unit can be at its peak. Joe Cullen’s defense needs to turn in another gem for the Jaguars to have a shot in this one.
Pressure, pressure, pressure
Matthew Stafford is dangerous. He’s passed for 3,316 yards this season and 27 touchdowns. Receiver Cooper Kupp has caught more touchdowns himself (10) than the Jaguars have as a team (nine). The Rams run an offense that Urban Meyer wants to be … fast. But we’ve seen the Jaguars rattle one fast offense already this season and that was set up by the defensive front and the relentlessness of guys like DaVon Hamilton and Malcom Brown, although both are banged up this week. Jacksonville shook Buffalo QB Josh Allen with constant pressure and Stafford has been rattled this season with pressure. He’s thrown nine interceptions. Jacksonville has to generate similar pressure to make Stafford uncomfortable. With time, he’ll carve up a Jaguars defense that is already without starting corner Shaquill Griffin. To have any chance of an upset, Jacksonville must get Stafford rattled.
Keep Trevor healthy
The wins haven’t come often for the Jaguars. Jacksonville has struggled to strike the right balance offensively for what’s best for rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence and what’s best for the team. Lawrence is no doubt a better QB when he’s afforded the opportunity to incorporate some run-pass option into his game. We saw that in pieces last week.
Meyer said that there’s a fine line in going to that too often for several reasons. Do it too much and there’s a chance your QB seriously injured or have teams pick up on it. But it did work in spots last week against the Falcons.
On paper, this is the best defense that Jacksonville will face all season. Aaron Donald. Jalen Ramsey. Von Miler. Leonard Floyd. This defense has wrecking ball potential. With an incomplete running game behind Lawrence (James Robinson has been limited by injury and Carlos Hyde just an average back), Jacksonville is going to have to do something to take some of the heat off Lawrence. Could that be more RPO and allow him to use that athleticism to get out of the pocket?
Don’t forget about Jalen Ramsey
Jacksonville’s receivers have struggled this year to connect with Lawrence, be it route running or the ability to gain separation from their defenders. They’ll have an extra challenging time again Sunday, especially against a secondary that includes former Jaguars corner Jalen Ramsey. While Ramsey likely won’t match up exclusively against Marvin Jones Jr., he’ll be all over the field in the Rams’ predominantly zone defense. Jacksonville needs to stay away from Ramsey. He’s got a team-best three interceptions and is fourth on the team in tackles (56). And if Ramsey has a huge game, Jaguars fans will be none too happy about it.
That’s a storyline this week. The Jaguars dealt an unhappy Ramsey for two first-round picks. At the time, fans thought it was a slam dunk victory. It wound up as a terrible trade for the Jaguars. The team used those picks to draft K’Lavon Chaisson and Travis Etienne. Chaisson has been average at best and Etienne is out for the year after a Lisfranc injury.