Jaguars vs. Chargers provides an opportunity to finally stop the losing streak, here’s how Jacksonville can beat their struggling opponent.
The Jacksonville Jaguars need a win more so than any other team in football this weekend. Currently on a four-game skid, Jacksonville has gone from division title contenders to being near the top of the draft order in less than a month.
Unfortunately, the games don’t get any easier heading forward. Sunday’s opponents, the Los Angeles Chargers, are undeniably talented but are enduring a difficult season of their own, too. Thanks to divisional losses, they’ve found themselves at the bottom of the AFC West, though they have some big wins against the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and the 9-3 Green Bay Packers.
If Jacksonville is to stop the bleeding and avoid being condemned to their eleventh losing season in the last 12 years, they will have to stick to a clear game-plan.
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Take the pressure off Gardner Minshew II
Gardner Minshew II has been reinserted as the Jaguars’ starter ahead of this game, but if the Jaguars end up relying on “Minshew Mania” too heavily for the win today then they have let their rookie quarterback down. The Jaguars have a running back playing at a Pro Bowl level this season in Leonard Fournette, and he should be utilized heavily in Sunday’s game.
The Chargers pass defense is fourth-best in the country, with the secondary continuing to shut down receivers and Derwin James set to start in his second game of the season coming back from a foot injury. This means offensive coordinator John DeFilippo will need to lean on his running back for the win Sunday.
This year Fournette has established himself as an option out of the backfield whilst continuing to impose himself as a powerful runner. Chargers’ pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are both exceptional at getting after the quarterback, and with Minshew’s documented fumbling issues, Fournette should be the feature of Sunday’s game if the Jags want to minimize turnover opportunities.
There are a lot of concerns for the Jags heading into Week 14, but the pass rushing duo of Bosa and Ingram should be atop the list.
The Jacksonville Jaguars 2019 season has been a forgettable one and most fans have been anticipating its end. The Los Angeles Chargers’ season has been equally disappointing, however, most tend to think they have a better chance to win Sunday’s game between them and the Jags.
With a 7-3 all-time record against the Jags and a better overall team than Jacksonville, there are several concerns we have here at Jags Wire for Week 14’s game. Here are three of our biggest concerns as they will look to end a four-game skid this Sunday:
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The Chargers pass rushing duo of Nick Bosa and Melvin Ingram
The Jags will be up against one of the fiercest passing defenses in football as the Chargers only allow an average of 199.3 passing yards a game. That’s good for fourth in the league, which means the Jags could struggle to find guys like DJ Chark Jr. and Dede Westbrook through the air.
Part of the reason for that is because of the dynamic duo they have as pass rushers in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, both of whom have grades of 77.9 and 86.2, respectively, via Pro Football Focus. The two will enter Sunday’s game with a combined total of 14 sacks and will be looking to get after rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II.
The most concerning part about going up against the Chargers pass rush is how Cam Robinson is playing at the moment as he hasn’t been overly impressive. Jawaan Taylor could also have issues against the dynamic pair as he’s had issues with penalties and leads the league in the category with 13.
Gardner Minshew II will return as the Jags starter against the Chargers and has a grand opportunity to show he can start in 2020.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be taking on a Los Angeles Chargers team they’ve struggled against in the past and it’s almost a certainty that a win won’t come easy if the Jags prevail. However, the Chargers simply aren’t what they used to be on offense and have become more of a defensive group, which means the Jags’ defense will be the unit that has to step up the most in all probability this Sunday.
Here are three Jaguars to watch on offense this Sunday:
Gardner Minshew II
“Minshew Mania” has returned and the rookie quarterback should basically treat his opportunity as an audition to start at quarterback in 2020 as well. Gardner Minshew II was officially named the team’s starter after replacing a struggling Nick Foles midway through last Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Bucs, and many are beginning to wonder if it’s the last we’ll see of the veteran as a starter.
As for Minshew, he’ll be looking to continue where he left off earlier this season after winning six Rookie of the Week awards, a Rookie of the Month award (for September) and going 4-4 as a starter. He has a grand opportunity to make a huge statement upon his return by going toe-to-toe with veteran Philip Rivers and beating a Chargers franchise that has simply had the Jags number in the past with a 7-3 record against them.
RB Leonard Fournette
With the Jags season going terribly wrong, Leonard Fournette’s incredible season is going under the radar. The third-year rusher will enter Sunday’s game with 989 rushing yards, just 11 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark.
With changes likely to come in terms of the staff, Fournette should be motivated to close the season right and prove to the next potential regime that he is a big part of the Jags’ young nucleus of talent. Additionally, with him having the fourth-most fan votes at the running back position in the Pro Bowl race, he could use a strong performance to close the gap between him and those in front of him. With the Chargers having the No. 18 ranked rushing defense, that shouldn’t be an issue for the bruising tailback.
WR DJ Chark Jr.
Like Fournette, receiver DJ Chark Jr. is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark with 881 receiving yards and only needs 119 yards to hit the mark. He’s been the Jags’ most improved player in 2019, and with Minshew back on the field, it could help the young receiver drastically as the two have a strong bond, especially on extended plays.
Chark will be up against an elite passing defense, which means he may have to flourish in the short passing game more. With players like Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram rushing the passer and Casey Hayward at the cornerback position, it would speak volumes if Chark had success Sunday because a lot of receivers haven’t been able to do so in 2019.
The Jags will enter this week’s game with just three wins out of seven against the Chargers. Can Gardner Minshew change that?
The Jacksonville Jaguars face off against the Los Angeles Chargers in a battle of struggling teams this Sunday. Of course, the biggest news is Gardner Minshew II being named a starter again which should bring some excitement to the fanbase.
Here are three things to know for the battle of opposing coasts:
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The Chargers lead the series 7-3
The Jaguars have an unfortunate history with the Chargers. The Chargers lead the series 7-3 and have won six of the last seven matchups. Both teams boast a 4-8 record and are looking to right the ship as each are coming off of multiple game losing streaks.
Luckily the game is in Jacksonville since generally, the Jaguars don’t travel well to the west coast. Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers has struggled this season, turning the ball over at an alarming rate with 15 picks on the season. Against a weak offensive line, the Jaguars’ defensive unit should be able to take advantage and make it a tough game for Rivers.
There was a lot to unpack from the beatdown the Jags received from the Titans and a lot of the takeaways aren’t good.
The Jacksonville Jaguars once again left egg on the faces of their fans Sunday after another embarrassing loss within the division. This time, the Jags were handily defeated by the Tennessee Titans by a score of 42-20.
It goes without saying Sunday’s performance, in which the Jags were outmatched in every way, was hard to watch but somehow we’ve managed to gather some thoughts on the Jags’ abysmal performance.
Here are three next-day takeaways we came away with:
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It’s just a matter of time for Doug Marrone
Sunday’s performance by the Jags may have been the worse we’ve seen all year. The team’s embarrassing loss to the Titans marked their third consecutive divisional loss by 20 points or more, which is a telling sign that points to coaching.
Neither side has played well, so let’s get that out of the way first. On offense, the team has only scored 36 points in three games, most of which occurred when the game was out of hand. Those struggles were due to game planning on John DeFilippo’s part and struggles at quarterback (which I’ll save for later).
On defense, it’s been downright dreadful. Apparently, Marcell Dareus was a bigger piece to the unit than I initially thought because Todd Wash’s unit just doesn’t know what to do about the run especially. Derrick Henry once again made the unit look like an elementary school team, racking up 159 total rushing yards. In total, the unit gave up over 200 rushing yards and 471 total yards. To put it lightly, the Titans moved the ball at will after the first half and all Wash could do is take it.
The struggles of Wash and DeFilippo are ultimately a reflection of Doug Marrone. He ultimately is the overseer of the Jags’ game-planning in the end, and it appears that he and his lieutenants simply aren’t breaking through to the team. The veteran head coach has been asked about coaching changes two consecutive weeks and has seemed certain of himself when stating that no changes will be made. That said, it appears he’d like to stick with them to the end, which in all probability will result in his firing.
There wasn’t much good to talk about after the Jags loss to the Titans Week 12 aside from running back Leonard Fournette.
Another week, another absolute shellacking from a division rival to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars wrapped up another disappointing week with a loss to the Tennessee Titans by a score 42-20 in a game where they were flat-out dominated. With the loss, the Jaguars fall to 4-7 on the year and are dead last in the AFC South. This is the third straight loss to a AFC South division rival and also their third consecutive loss by 20 or more points.
There is not a lot — if anything — that went the Jaguars way on Sunday. Nevertheless, here are the good, the bad and the ugly moments from the Jaguars and TitansWeek 12 matchup:
The good: Leonard Fournette continuously showing that he is a franchise running back
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
While the Jaguars offense left much to be desired, one player who showed up to play was Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette.
Fournette put the team on his back to the best of his ability as he finished with 97 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Fournette now has 951 total rushing yards on the season, which is good for sixth in the NFL. He even led the team in receptions with nine for 62 receiving yards.
Fournette’s continued growth has been completely lost in the Jaguars’ miserable season. He is currently fourth in the NFL in receiving among running backs with 391 yards. That would represent the highest total since his rookie season where he finished with 302 yards on 36 receptions.
Fournette is also on pace to rush for 1,366 yards which would shatter his rookie total of 1,040. In a season filled with disarray and disappointment, the Jaguars at least can be excited with knowing Fournette is truly panning out to be the productive No. 4 overall pick that they hoped for.
The bad AND the ugly: Every single thing on the Jaguars’ side of the ball not named Fournette
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This game was so bad for the Jaguars that it can not be separated between being bad and ugly.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Jaguars were almost helpless.
The Jaguars didn’t score their first touchdown until 2:23 in the third quarter when the game was already out of hand at a score of 35-11. Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles finished with 272 passing yards with a large majority of most of those yards coming in the fourth quarter when the Jaguars were down as much as 42-17.
On the defensive side, the main issue all season was the Jaguars’ sieve-like rush defense. This game was no different as the Jaguars’ defense was completely victimized by Titans running back Derrick Henry to the tune of 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Henry even broke out for a 74-yard run in the third quarter.
The real story was Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who started the season as the backup to Marcus Mariota. He absolutely eviscerated the Jaguars’ defense and showed some toughness overall leaping into the air for a 21-yard rushing touchdown. The Jags’ defense allowed Tannehill to not only pass for 259 yards with a 14.4 yards per pass average and two touchdowns, but he also ran for 40 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. In total, Tannehill finished with a 93.0 quarterback rating and a 155.8 passer rating and completely demoralized the Jags’ defense.
The Titans not only dominated the entire game, but also erased the hopes of a respectable season from Jaguars fans. The loss put them further down the standings in the AFC South and could possibly lead to them acquiring the last spot in the division.
A loss is one thing, but another extremely brutal loss to a division rival is flat out embarrassing at this point. Something needs to change and the bleeding has to stop eventually. Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone will have to take a deep look at the game film and the makeup of this team and figure out where their hearts are at this point in the season.
The Jags will need to win some key matchups Sunday to overtake the Titans and one of them is the battle between Fournette and Rashaan Evans.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) and Tennessee Titans (5-5) will clash for their second time in 2019 with their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread. Needless to say, that means neither team can take a loss in Sunday’s matchup, which will come down to a few key matchups. Here are three we’ll be watching in particular:
Edge rushers Yannick Ngakoue and Josh Allen vs. offensive tackles Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin
While the Jags aren’t quite where they want to be record-wise, fans who like breaking down the film should at least be happy to see this matchup regardless of the outcome. It’s rare to see two tandems of this magnitude duke it out on the edge and I’ve personally been waiting to see this matchup since Josh Allen was selected by the Jags.
In the Jags’ and Titans’ Week 3 meeting, Taylor Lewan was suspended and his absence showed as quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked nine times. Now he’s back and the playing field is level. With that being the case, it will be interesting to see how Yannick Ngakoue and Allen respond to the tandem as Lewan and Jack Conklin are regarded as one of the NFL’s top bookend duos.
RB Leonard Fournette vs. ILB Rashaan Evans
Leonard Fournette wants more carries and the Jags want to give him that. That said, if the Jags give him the ball as most suspect he’ll have to deal with the Titans leading tackler in Rashaan Evans. These two are quite familiar with each other after their time in the Southeastern Conference and now the rivalry has followed them to the league due to being selected by the Jags and Titans.
Evans will enter the game with 82 tackles while Fournette will enter the game with 854 rushing yards and one touchdown. As we’ve mentioned in the past, he’s struggled against the Titans. Throughout, four starts against them, he’s garnered 62 carries for 211 yards (good for a 3.4 YPC average) and a touchdown, which is not an impressive stat line. Simply put, that needs to change Sunday if the Jags want to win.
LB Myles Jack vs. RB Derrick Henry
This kind of goes back to what was said in our bold predictions post when I mentioned that Myles Jack is the most criticized player on the Jags’ defense — and rightfully so. He hasn’t played to his contract extension this season and will need to flip the switch quick as he’s played so poorly to the point where many have been wondering if he needs to change positions.
Jack likely understands he’s fallen short of expectations more than anyone and could play with his hair on fire against the Titans. With Derrick Henry expected to lead their offense, he’ll receive ample carries and Jack could make a statement Sunday by holding him in check and acquiring double-digit tackles on the day.
Leonard Fournette talks about reaching out to a few encouraging people in the process of going through a rough patch in his career.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled offensively as of late and most would say it’s been because they’ve gotten away from running back Leonard Fournette. In their last two games, they’ve only given him 19 rushing attempts for 63 rushing yards, which clearly isn’t the recipe for success.
Needless to say, Fournette’s lack of touches hasn’t just been frustrating for the fanbase but him as well, however, the third-year tailback told the media he’s now refueled after speaking with the coaches, his father and Hall-of-Fame tailback Marcus Allen, who he’s known since high school.
Leonard Fournette did some soul searching this week, speaking to Marcus Allen and his father pic.twitter.com/Z1CyfUfxr1
Nothing like receiving advice from a top-15 rushing leader who has seen it all, right?
There were rumblings from the local media that Fournette left Sunday’s game extremely frustrated, and quite frankly, it’s hard to blame him. After how their battle with the Houston Texans ended Week 9, most believed offensive coordinator John DeFilippo would get back to utilizing Fournette, who was the AFC’s top rusher not that long ago. However, that wasn’t the case against the Colts and the results may be proof of what the issue is.
Both DeFilippo and Marrone took full responsibility for the Jags’ game-planning as of late and it seems things may be hashed out now. With the Jags looking desperately for a playoff push, fans should look for their approach to change and expect Fournette to receive 20 carries or more Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
The Jaguars will face yet another division foe this weekend, the Tennessee Titans. Here are three keys to victory against Tennessee.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will face yet another division foe this weekend: the Tennessee Titans. After getting beaten handily in back-to-back weeks, the Jaguars are hoping they can right the ship and get back on track.
The Titans team the Jags will face this Sunday is a completely different team than the one they faced Week 3 as they’re playing better football and currently have a 5-5 record. Does that mean the results will be the same though?
Here are three keys to victory against Tennessee:
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Give Fournette the ball
Through the first nine games of the season, the Jaguars heavily leaned on running back Leonard Fournette. At one point and time, Fournette was the AFC’s leading rusher and scrimmage leader. The past two games, however, the team has seemingly forgotten how much of an impact Fournette has on this offense.
In his most recent games against the Texans and Colts, Fournette has been given just 19 carries and has only accumulated 63 yards and no touchdowns. The team has curiously gone away from their bread and butter: a strong run game. Coincidence or not, the Jaguars have also struggled mightily in those games. If the Jaguars wish to return to winning, they need to go back to their identity.
The Jags have only given Leonard Fournette 17 touches in to games and Doug Marrone knows that has to change.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars tough loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday still has a bad taste in the mouths of the fanbase as the team was outplayed in almost every way after the first quarter. Another issue a lot of fans had with the way things went was the lack of utilizing tailback Leonard Fournette, who only had eight carries for 23 yards.
In Monday’s conference call with Marrone, he took full responsibility for the loss and lack of Fournette being in the gameplan, stating that the Jags simply got in a situation where they were behind and it caused them to get away from the guy who is basically the offense’s engine.
“That probably comes back to my end, that I’ve got to do a good job,” Marrone said. “In the second and third quarter we weren’t able to get much going offensively as a group. Not just Leonard [Fournette], or the line, or anyone. We had back-to-back three-and-outs before the interception. I was looking back about my mindset on the game, and I can only explain what my though process is, and where I made a mistake, or where I make mistakes.”
Many fans voiced their frustrations towards offensive coordinator John DeFilippo after the game as he was on record for saying Fournette was the key to the offense this summer. However, in the last two games he’s gotten away from the young tailback, who only has 17 carries in the Jags’ last two games despite being the AFC’s top rusher just a few weeks ago.
With the Titans coming up and having some momentum on offense, Fournette would be perfect to slow down Ryan Tannehill and company, especially with how the Jags’ defense is playing. Additionally, Marrone’s seat will likely continue to get warmer, as will the rest of the staff’s, so it might be wise of them to get back to the basics and lean on their first-round selection of 2017.
