After a rocky start to the season, the Green Bay Packers offense is in business heading into Jacksonville this week. Coming off of three straight wins against the Rams, Cardinals, and Texans, head coach Matt LaFleur looks to extend his teams’ win streak to four against a very much depleted Jacksonville Jaguars squad. With the recent addition to the offensive scheme in former Jets head coach Robert Saleh, will the Packers staff focus on taking advantage of a frustrated Jaguars defense or find a way to stagnate Trevor Lawrence’s offensive momentum?
Green Bay Packers Offense Should Anticipate Sound Outing At Jacksonville in Week 8
Pack and Jags History
In the Jaguars’ 30-year existence, Green Bay is 5-2 all-time, winning the last three matchups since Green Bay lost 20-16 in 2008. In their last meeting, the Packers took care of business in an empty Lambeau Field during the pandemic. Despite no crowd to Lambeau Leap into, the Packers extended their head-to-head streak against Jacksonville, winning 24-20.
Successes Last Week
The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) competed in their second game abroad at Wembley Stadium against the Patriots, coming out on top 32-16 after being down 10-0 to start the game. Jacksonville started to find a rhythm in the second quarter, scoring 22 consecutive points after quarterback Trevor Lawrence connected with rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. for a score, Tank Bigsby’s rushing touchdown, and a score from the punt return specialist. Bigsby and Thomas Jr. combined for more than half of the Jaguars total yards on the day, making for a well-balanced offensive performance uncharacteristic of what head coach Doug Pederson has witnessed thus far.
Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers (5-2) are coming off of an ugly performance against the Texans, squeaking out a win 24-22 thanks to a late Brandon McManus field goal. Jordan Love threw three touchdowns and two interceptions while the Packers’ defense limited CJ Stroud to 86 passing yards and zero touchdowns to carry Green Bay to victory. Turnovers and errors by the offense and special teams put Green Bay’s defense in tough positions to keep the game winnable, which is where linebacker Eric Wilson came in, recording two sacks and nine tackles on the day.
With big performances from the Jaguars offense and Packers defense, these teams will once again rely on these strengths to get the victory this weekend. But what must each team do differently to outdo the other?
Jaguars – Adapt Offensively
The Jaguars have notoriously struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball despite huge expectations coming into the season. Part of the reason for this includes a lack of adaptability to an adapting defensive scheme.
Jeff Hafley has been impressive in his ability to adapt to opposing offenses and how they play football. If Hafley is able to take away the possibility of Thomas Jr. and Bigsby having big days, offensive coordinator Press Taylor is going to need backup plans for Trevor Lawrence. Playing complementary football and unpredictable football against this evolving Packers defense is a necessity.
Packers – No Holding Back for Green Bay Packers Offense
Although there has been doubt surrounding the league regarding Jordan Love and his league-leading interception stat line, there is no reason to refrain from his style of play in playing conservative football. The Jaguars defense is why.
So far this season, The Jacksonville Jaguars defense:
- Has allowed the most passing touchdowns in the NFL (16)
- Allows eight yards per passing attempt (tied for 3rd worst in the NFL)
- Allows the 2nd most passing yards by opposing quarterbacks
- Allows the 5th worst completion percentage among opposing quarterbacks
- Has three takeaways on the year
Jordan Love has made just as many big plays with his arm as he has errors. If Green Bay does not take advantage of a poor pass defense, there is no reason why the Jaguars are not able to upset Titletown on home turf.
Main Image: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
