On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars will undoubtedly face their toughest task of the 2020 season as they make a trip to Wisconsin to face the 6-2 Green Bay Packers.
Whilst the Packers are currently tied for the top seed in the NFC with Aaron Rodgers playing great football, the Jaguars are enduring a seven-game slide. The Jags are also two losses away from handing owner Shad Khan his 100th in just his tenth season of ownership.
However, winning this matchup is not an impossible task for Jacksonville, but it will need to be a perfect game on all three levels. Anything less and the talent on the Packers will come to the fore. If the Jaguars are to win this afternoon, they will have to focus on executing these three points:
Control the clock
Jake Luton looked relatively comfortable in his first NFL start against the Houston Texans, but with teams now having film to study it might be difficult for him to maintain that level of production heading forward. Add in the issues the wind conditions could provide for the rookie, and it feels like a victory will be even harder to acquire.
The best way for the Jaguars to establish a foothold in this game will be on the ground with star rusher James Robinson. The undrafted free-agent running back has undoubtedly been the brightest spot on the offense all year— and that needs to continue. If he’s able to establish a rhythm early and dictate the pace of this game, it would help Luton tremendously as well as the defense by keeping Rodgers on the sidelines.
Pressure Aaron Rodgers
The only way the Jags are going to force Rodgers into mistakes is by pressuring him early and often. Rookie defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton is really coming into his own as the season progresses and the team will be hoping he can continue his success and create opportunities for Josh Allen.
It has been widely documented that the Jaguars are struggling to get pressure off the edge so far this season, with a league-worst eight sacks on the year. However, the team has been getting pressure on a more consistent basis as of their last few games (ranked 25th), but still need to get the quarterback on the ground. If that changes today and Jacksonville defenders are able to get their hands on Rodgers they will find it easier to slow down the Packers’ offensive unit.
Double team Davante Adams, every down
Rookie cornerback CJ Henderson did not enjoy last week against Will Fuller, getting scorched for a 70-plus yard touchdown on a play that does not cover the ninth-overall pick in much glory. With his recent struggles in mind, it would be wise for Todd Wash to assign some help when it comes to covering Davante Adams.
Adams’ 2020 tape is asserting him as one of the elite-tier receivers in the NFL and he’s probably looking forward to the opportunity to pick on a rookie defensive back one-on-one. If this team wants to slow the Packers down, then they have to find a way to slow Adams too, which is easier said than done.