Just days away from their regular season kickoff, the Jacksonville Jaguars are gearing up for their Week 1 matchup against the Washington Commanders. Both teams are in the process of working their way back to contending form in the AFC South and NFC East respectively and will have every motivation to get their season off to a hot start in their first game of 2022.
Jacksonville added veteran guard Brandon Scherff, formerly of the Washington Football Team, to bolster their offensive line in free agency, and a year removed from playing in Washington, he knows the challenge posed by the Commanders’ front seven.
Asked about his former team in Monday’s team press conference, Scherff extrapolated on what Da’Ron Payne and Johnathan Allen will bring to the fight. Though the question asked was specifically in reference to the aforementioned stars up front, he made it clear that everyone on Washington’s defensive line will pose a threat to Jacksonville’s front five.
“They’re really strong,” Scherff told members of the media, “And you’ve got Daniel Wise in there, too. I practiced against him every day last year, and he’s a heck of a player, too, Jonathan is as good as they come. He’s strong, he’s physical. Daron Payne, I’d say he’s really, really strong, and he’s fast. He’s sneaky fast. He’s an underrated pass rusher. He’s a really good football player. John Allen is, like I said, his stats speak for themselves. Montez Sweat, I have never seen anybody that big run that fast. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge for us, because I know how they practice every day, and they practice really hard.”
It may prove to be an uphill battle for the Jaguars in Week 1, but with enough insight into Washington’s personnel and schemes from Scherff’s extensive knowledge of their operations, Jacksonville could have some degree of advantage heading into the matchup.
A win to kick off their season would have the Jaguars in a prime position to improve on their dismal 2020 and 2021 campaigns, and with the help of their inside man, they just might have what it takes to emerge victorious.