The Jacksonville Jaguars have scored 18 touchdowns in nine games. They have also turned the ball over 17 times in those nine games and 11 of those turnovers came in the opponent’s territory. Even with that many turnovers, the Jaguars are 6-3 and looking to get a stronger hold on the AFC South. If they can beat the Titans this Sunday and the Texans the next, last week’s embarrassing loss to the 49ers will be forgotten and the Jaguars will be on their way to the playoffs.
The key to this game is who can win the line of scrimmage. The line is where the offense opens up holes for Travis Etienne and gives Trevor Lawrence time to find his receivers. The line is where Josh Allen and Travon Walker can blow by their defender to sack Will Levis. It is where DaVon Hamilton and Roy Robertson-Harris stop Derrick Henry before he can get a head of steam. Whoever wins the line of scrimmage Sunday, on both sides, is the team that will come away with the win.
Jacksonville Should Be 7-3 After Sunday
The Line of Scrimmage
The Jaguars had their five best offensive linemen throughout the game against the 49ers. They were totally dominated all day long. Nick Bosa was unblocked a few times and Chase Young looked like the Chase Young that the Jaguars should have traded for before the trade deadline. There were even a couple of times that the 49ers moved Bosa and Young inside and the Jaguars interior linemen were not even mildly prepared for that look. If the offensive line looks that bad against a less talented Titans front seven, it could be another long day for Trevor Lawrence and the Jags.
The Titans offensive line may be worse than the Jaguars. After completely revamping the offensive line in the offseason by bringing in Andre Dillard and drafting Peter Skoronski 11th overall, the Titans got much more athletic up front. So far, in 2023, that revamping has not helped the line play at all. To top it off, Dillard is in the concussion protocol and will probably not play Sunday. All of that means that Jacksonville should be able to get to rookie quarterback Will Levis early and often. If they cannot, it could be a tough day against a division rival.
Home Field (dis)Advantage
There is a narrative on the national level that the Jaguars will not be in Jacksonville for the long term. Whether it is the rumor that they are moving to London or any other city in America, the rumors are out there. The reality of the situation is that the fan base is great. They packed the stadium and they did so even when the Jaguars were losing more than any other team in the NFL. Now that there is a good product on the field, the stadium is packed. Owner Shad Khan just built a multi-million dollar practice facility and there are plans for a brand new stadium in the works. The team will be staying in Jacksonville for the foreseeable future.
With that said, the Jaguars are 1-3 at home and have looked really bad in two of those games. When playing outside of Jacksonville, including the home game in London, the Jaguars are 5-0. That is not much of a home-field advantage and it points to some truth in the national narrative of the Jaguars leaving town. The truth is that the Jaguars just have not played well at home. It has nothing to do with the fan base and everything to do with executing.
Setting @dannykanell straight from his comments Tuesday pic.twitter.com/X72Uddklq4
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) November 8, 2023
Quarterback Play
The Jaguars have been very good this year against teams with bad quarterbacks. In fact, the team is 5-0 against Desmond Ritter, Gardner Minshew, Anthony Richardson, Kenny Pickett, and Derek Carr. On the other hand, they are 1-3 against Patrick Mahomes, CJ Stroud, Josh Allen, and Brock Purdy. Jacksonville ranks 30 out of 32 NFL teams in passing yards allowed at 266.8 yards. If Levis can exploit the Jaguars’ pass-rush deficiency and porous secondary, it could be a long day.
The quarterback play of Trevor Lawrence is difficult to measure and even more difficult to describe. Lawrence can make every throw, looks calm and in command of the offense, and is widely regarded as an ascending NFL quarterback. If you were to ask any GM outside of Kansas City, Houston, and Cincinnati what they would give up for Trevor Lawrence, the answer would be almost anything. So far in 2023, he has just nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also fumbled the ball seven times in nine games while losing four of those fumbles. If the question is, “Is Trevor Lawrence a good quarterback?” The answer is yes. If the question is “Can you prove that Trevor Lawrence is a good quarterback based on 2023?” The answer to that question would be a lot more complicated.
Derrick Henry vs Travis Etienne
Travis Etienne and Derrick Henry are both top-flight NFL running backs. Henry is on the back end of his career and Etienne is just beginning, but they are both good backs. They are also very different running backs. Etienne is strong and can run through tackles, but he is known for his speed and agility. He also catches the ball very well out of the backfield. Henry would rather run you over than run around you. He is about 6’3 and 250 pounds and he is hard to bring down. Both Henry and Etienne are heavily relied upon by their teams, especially so far in 2023. Henry is No. 2 in rushing this season with 625 yards and five touchdowns. Etienne is fourth with 618 yards and seven touchdowns. Whichever running back has the better game could be indicative of which team goes home with a win.
Main Photo Credit: Syndication: The Tennessean
