The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without their top offensive weapon Sunday when they take on the Chicago Bears. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, rookie running back James Robinson will miss the game with an ankle injury after he didn’t practice all week.
#Jaguars RB James Robinson, the NFL’s third-leader rusher and top rookie on the ground, won’t play vs the #Bears, source said. He missed the entire week of practice with an ankle injury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 26, 2020
Robinson sustained an ankle injury late in last Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens and didn’t return. Eventually, the Jags went on to lose that game (which was out of hand before his injury) by a score of 40-14. He finished the game with 16 carries for 35 yards and had a receiving touchdown.
The choice is a smart one when considering the fact that there isn’t a reason to further risk injury to arguably their top player. When it comes to their offensive starters, he has the second-highest Pro Football Focus grade (72.9) on the team under center Brandon Linder (80.0).
Robinson has been absolutely phenomenal for the Jags after going undrafted in April’s draft. He’s put together one of the best undrafted seasons in NFL history and has found himself at the No. 3 spot in terms of rushing yards for the NFL with 1,070.
With Robinson out, the Jags will likely lean on Devine Ozigbo and Dare Ogunbowale for the most part to handle his carries. Craig Reynolds and fullback Bruce Miller were also elevated from the practice squad to give the Jags more depth at running back.