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The Jacksonville Jaguars offense hasn’t been good since coming off the bye and it’s resulted in two consecutive divisional losses for the team. Running back Leonard Fournette has been underutilized and veteran quarterback Nick Foles didn’t provide the spark fans were hoping for in his debut last Sunday. However, one player has continued his growth in receiver DJ Chark Jr., who is playing at a Pro Bowl level and is tied for the most touchdowns (eight) of any receiver in football with Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr.
In Sunday’s blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Chark was the only bright offensive spot in the eyes of most, registering his third 100-yard day and hauling in two touchdown passes. As a result, he was one of the topics of discussion for coach Doug Marrone Wednesday, who raved about what he’s brought to the table.
Head Coach Doug Marrone meets the media. https://t.co/nuYGvfqLyU
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) November 20, 2019
“He just keeps getting better,” Marrone said Wednesday “I mean he’s wherever he is in receptions and yardage and he has eight touchdowns for us this year, so he’s playing really well. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he can get to contested balls, he can catch the ball over the middle, he can run and then score, so he’s doing a lot of things well.”
Marrone also went into details about how the second-year receiver has evolved from his rookie season, which was a rough one full of drops, mistakes, penalties and ended with injury for Chark.
“It’s been great,” Marrone added. “For as much hard work as he’s put in, he’s kind of quiet and just works his butt off. It’s always good to see someone with the talent he has really starting to come along and he’ll get better and continue to get better.”
It’s beginning to look like the Jags have fallen far enough behind to say they won’t make the playoffs, however, Chark is one of the bright spots fans can watch along the way. The Jags came into the season needing an answer at receiver due to Allen Robinson leaving in 2018 and they’ve seemingly found a new No. 1.
Chark will roll into Week 12 with 796 yards to his name, which means he needs slightly over 200 yards to be the first receiver since the Allen Bros. to hit 1,000 yards. With six games he should do that with ease, which could lead to him garnering the votes needed to make the Pro Bowl depending on how he does it.