3 Jaguars to watch on offense vs. Titans

The Jaguars will need Andrew Norwell and Jawaan Taylor both to have a solid day in the trenches if they are to beat the Titans Sunday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the opportunity to stay undefeated and be alone at the top of the division with a win in Nashville Sunday afternoon. After a surprise win at home against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, the Jags will be hoping to continue that momentum into this game against another division rival as they look to steal a match on the rest of the AFC South.

To many people’s shock, the Jaguars’ offense was largely effective in last week’s win. Gardner Minshew II went 19-of-20 and leads the NFL in the completion percentage category, whilst rookie running back James Robinson looked like a starting calibre rusher in his NFL debut.

Simply put, the unit will need to score points in abundance if they are to keep pace with running back Derrick Henry and the Titans this week. With that in mind, here’s three Jaguars to watch on offense in Week 2.

Laviska Shenault Jr.

Laviska Shenault Jr. quietly had one of the better performances on the team last weekend. The staff said they would use him in a variety of ways this offseason and they stuck to their word early. Shenault was given the ball out of the backfield twice and even lined up at wildcat quarterback at one point, in addition to receiving multiple targets as a receiver.

When looking at his stats, Shenault was the only rookie receiver to catch a touchdown last weekend, scoring on a nice in-route for a 15-yard touchdown. If the Jaguars want to keep the defense guessing, Shenault will be used to create mismatches on defense early and often Week 2.

Andrew Norwell

Norwell has come under a lot of criticism by Jaguars fans and media in recent years. It is safe to say that the team expected a lot from the former All-Pro having made him the richest interior lineman in the entire NFL when he signed in 2017.

Fortunately, he looked vastly improved in Week 1 (registering a 73.3, per Pro Football Focus) as the Jaguars were able to keep Minshew’s pocket clean and saw his production improve as a result. Given the talent in the Titans’ front-seven, Jacksonville needs Norwell to repeat last week’s showing if they want to keep their quarterback off the grass.

Jawaan Taylor

Two offensive lineman you say? It could be one of those games.

Taylor makes the cut here because he flashed very brightly last week. Taylor showed vast improvements in the second half of 2019 and started this year relatively strong. Whilst the Jaguars did allow multiple sacks last weekend, the former Florida Gator lit up Colts’ All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard on a screen play.

The second-year tackle will be lining up against Jadeveon Clowney for much of this game. That means it will be imperative for Taylor to slow down the former first overall pick.

Taylor and the Jags’ offensive line will have to be physical with the Titans’ defensive line to set the tone Sunday. If they can stay on the field that keeps Henry off of it and gives the Jags an opportunity to win the time of possession battle.

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