Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Jake Luton will be starting in his second consecutive game Sunday as the team travels to the legendary Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. That will also present the rookie with a chance to go one-on-one with Aaron Rodgers, who is a signal-caller Luton looked up to throughout his career.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Luton said of his chance to play against Rodgers. “He’s a guy I have a lot of respect for, was a big fan of growing up and a huge fan of his game. A lot of things that he does, no one else really can do. He’s a wizard with the football in a lot of ways. Like I said, [I have] a lot of respect for him. It’ll be really exciting to get out there and get to play ball against him.”
It’s going to be a challenge for Luton to keep pace with Rodgers as his second start will come against a significantly better defense than Houston’s. The Packers will enter Week 10 as the No. 11 ranked unit on defense allowing an average of 345.4 yards a game. Additionally, the aura of Lambeau Field is like any other, though there won’t be any fans, which could make things a tad easier for the rookie.
“Yeah for sure,” Luton said when asked if he wishes fans could attend Sunday’s game. “It’s somewhere I’ve dreamed of playing. Lambeau Field is pretty historic, pretty awesome. It’d be real cool if it was rocking, a lot of people cheering against you. So, it’ll be a little different with it being empty but I’m sure it’ll still be awesome. It’ll be a cool moment to step out on the field and take it all in.”
Luton was able to accumulate a 68.4% (26-of-38) completion rate for 304 yards, a touchdown through the air, one on the ground, and a pick against the Texans. While his performance was certainly respectable, the Texans left opportunities to pick him off on the field. That said, if Luton can evaluate his mistakes from Week 9, he could be up for a solid day against the Packers, which may give him a huge boost towards remaining the Jags’ QB1 for 2020.