The Jacksonville Jaguars had several players to put up notable performances against the Green Bay Packers, especially on defense. Through a collective effort, the group shockingly held Aaron Rodgers and company to their third-lowest point total of the year (24), which included holding them scoreless in the first quarter.
One of the standouts in particular who garnered a lot of praise was cornerback Sidney Jones IV, who was very active and around the ball quite frequently. He ultimately finished the day with a team leading nine total tackles (six were solo), which tied him with linebacker Joe Schobert. He also was able to garner two pass breakups and the lone pick of the day for Todd Wash’s unit, though he did give up one deep touchdown to Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
As a result of Jones’ efforts, he ended up with the Jags’ highest Pro Football Focus grade (74.7) of Week 10, marking the second time he’s done so. Of course, the first time was during his first start Week 5 against the Houston Texans where he had an unbelievable day against Deshaun Watson.
Sidney Jones was the highest graded player for the #Jaguars against the #Packers yesterday
🔹Grade 74.7
🔹7 Tackles
🔹1 INT#DUUUVAL #JAXvsGB pic.twitter.com/ufvXbQTbSq— PFF JAX Jaguars (@PFF_Jaguars) November 16, 2020
With Jones being a former second-round pick and a highly regarded free-agent this summer, his emergence isn’t necessarily shocking but certainly welcomed. His time with the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t go as expected partly due to injuries and a change of scenery has really helped the 24-year-old.
If Jones continues to play as he has, the Jags will be faced with a big-time decision in terms of an extension as he currently has a 75.1 overall PFF grade. Then again, that may not prove to necessarily be a problem as the Jags are projected to have the most salary cap in the NFL in 2021 with over $80 million set to be available.
If you’re Jones, that sounds like plenty of reasons to continue balling. If you’re the Jags, his performance in 2020 will be one of the more intriguing things to monitor (or look back on for a new front office) as he’s turning a position of concern to a strength for the team.