CB Sidney Jones IV leads Jags again with highest PFF grade vs. Packers

Sidney Jones has once again found himself leading the way for the Jags defensively after he acquired the highest PFF grade vs. the Packers.

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.

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.

 

Jags move up in USA TODAY power rankings despite loss to Packers

The Jacksonville Jaguars may not have won their game against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, but they somehow managed to move up a spot in USA TODAY’s most recent power rankings. Now at the No. 30 spot, our comrade Nate Davis seemingly felt that …

The Jacksonville Jaguars may not have won their game against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, but they somehow managed to move up a spot in USA TODAY’s most recent power rankings. Now at the No. 30 spot, our comrade Nate Davis seemingly felt that there are two teams who are worse than the Jags (at least for now) and one of them, of course, were the winless New York Jets (No. 32).

The other team was the Dallas Cowboys, who have been dealing with quarterback issues as Andy Dalton had to be cleared from concussion and COVID-19 protocols recently. Nonetheless, they still have two more wins than the Jags and could very well climb the rankings as soon as next week with the veteran quarterback back.

As for the Jags’ slight jump, Davis stated that he liked the fight they showed against the Packers in a closely contested loss that resulted in a 24-20 score.

30. Jaguars (31): They gave a good account of themselves at Green Bay against the NFC’s current No. 1 seed. Next up for the Jags? Pittsburgh, the AFC’s current No. 1 seed.

While a loss is a loss in the NFL, the Jags did put up a better fight than expected Sunday, and while that doesn’t mean staff changes aren’t needed, it does show that the roster is talented and aren’t quitting.

As for the rest of the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans came in at the No. 10 and No. 11 spots, respectively, after their Thursday Night Football battle that Indy won by a score of 34-17. Lastly, the Houston Texans found themselves at the No. 28 spot after losing to the Cleveland Browns Sunday.

The good, bad, and ugly from the Jaguars’ 24-20 loss against the Packers

The Jags got solid contributions from their special teams, but their struggles to stop explosive plays still surfaced against the Packers.

For the third-straight game the Jacksonville Jaguars have stayed competitive late into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, against the Green Bay Packers this squad wasn’t able to put together a game-winning drive. Despite another loss this was arguably their strongest performance since opening weekend.

Looking back on this game the team will understand they need to improve across all three phases of play, but it seems the coaches will enjoy watching the game tape a little more as we get deeper into the season.

In the wake of yet another loss, here are the good, bad and the ugly from the latest Jaguars defeat:

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The good: Special teams love

There could be a whole host of shoutouts here as James Robinson was spectacular again, and rookie Davon Hamilton is quickly out-performing his overall selection figure. When taking the help both rookies provided into account, it’s easy to overlook the impact that special teams had so I’ll show them some love here.

The tribulations at the kicking position have been well documented, but Chase McLaughlin came out and kicked 100% on a pair of field goals and extra points. His special teams comrade, Logan Cooke, also came out and ripped the ball through the windy Wisconsin air. In fact, three of Cooke’s punts from Sunday afternoon finished inside the 10-yard line, one of which was even inside the Packers’ 3-yard line.

Special teams highlights weren’t just limited to the kicking/punting this week,  though. Receiver Keelan Cole peeled off for a franchise record 91-yard punt return touchdown, which kept the Jaguars in the game in the first half. All in all Sunday was a phenomenal day for the special teams unit and plenty to make Joe DeCamillis happy.

Mandatory credit: Dan Powers/USA TODAY

The bad: Big play defense

For the second-straight week, the Jaguars have given up a touchdown of 70 yards or more. This week it was Sidney Jones IV, who got beaten by Marquez Valdes-Scantling at the start of the second quarter.

The Jaguars’ defense came to play this week, limiting the Packers to just 51 yards and 0 points in the first quarter. However, their momentum began to slip away as the team gave up the huge touchdown strike in the opening play of the second period. If the team is to win any of the tough slate of games toward the end of 2020, they need to keep the ball in front of them much better than they have been.

Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK

The ugly: That two-minute drill

Lets not say too much about it, but whoosh. Rookie quarterback Jake Luton had a wobbly start to the game, but still managed to find his feet and lead three scoring drives as the Jaguars hung around far longer than anyone expected them to. In fact, the sixth-round rookie had the opportunity to lead his team downfield and win in Green Bay in only his second career start.

Unfortunately, the drive stalled out in ugly fashion. Luton went 1-of-4 for eight yards and two disappointing sacks. Still, the game was largely enjoyable for Jacksonville fans, especially those who want the team to draft Justin Fields.

Stock up, stock down from Jaguars’ 24-20 loss vs. Packers

Keelan Cole continues to show up for the Jags regardless as to who is behind center and had a big game against the Packers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars came away from Week 10 with yet another loss after traveling to Lambeau Field and falling to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 24-20.

The Jags made it an extremely close affair from start to finish but were unable to pick up the victory against Aaron Rodgers and company. Jacksonville came into the game as heavy underdogs and had many chances to win the game but unfortunately fell short, which has been the standard procedure for every Jags game this season.

Against the Packers, some Jaguars saw their stock on the rise, while some saw their stock fall. Here are the candidates for two Jaguars whose stock is up and two others whose stock is down:

Stock Up: WR Keelan Cole

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Jaguars wide receiver Keelan Cole Sr. may not be the star of the team, but he is arguably one of the most consistent players to wear the black and teal.

Cole had a tremendous game as he scored two touchdowns on the day, one of which was an incredible 91-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which was the longest in Jaguars history. He would then follow that up with a 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter and ultimately finished the game with five receptions for 47 yards with his two total touchdowns.

Cole has played well as a “safety valve” type of receiver as he displayed the same amount of solid chemistry with former starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II as he did today with rookie quarterback Jake Luton.

Stock down: LB Josh Allen

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Jaguars pass-rusher Josh Allen was drafted with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to be one of the franchise cornerstones on the defense. He had a very promising rookie season as he earned a Pro Bowl nomination and finished with 10.5 sacks with only 60% of the defensive snaps played.

The success of last season has not translated to this season as he didn’t record a sack on Aaron Rodgers and has only 0.5 sacks in his last three games. He had two tackles and couldn’t get much pressure on the Packers signal-caller.

Around this time last season, Allen had five sacks already but only has 2.5 at the nine-game mark. While he is still a skilled player, he has not made much of an impact on the quarterback this season, especially with more of his snaps predominantly coming from three-point stance as a traditional defensive end.

Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash has come under a lot of fire for not properly being able to utilize talented players properly and put them in better positions to make plays. This could be the case for the former Kentucky Wildcat star.

Stock Up: DT DaVon Hamilton

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive tackle can be a tough position to grade at times, but rookie defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton has had a solid string of games.

Against the Packers, he had four tackles including a sack and a pass deflection. Hamilton truly made his presence felt from the interior against one of the better lines while being matched up against Packers center Corey Linsley, who is Pro Football Focus’ top-graded center in the NFL.

While the former Ohio State Buckeye hasn’t had a noteworthy season overall, his disruptive play in the past few weeks and against the Packers has put fans and coaches on notice. A game like this one could lead to an encouraging back half on the season for the rookie.

Stock Down: QB Jake Luton

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

While Luton had an encouraging performance against the Houston Texans last Sunday, reality set in for the rookie signal-caller against the Packers. He had a tough day at the office, going only 18-of-35 on his passing attempts (51.4%) with 169 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception en route to a 33.5 QBR.

Luton missed a lot of key throws as the offense was 4-of-13 on third-down, three of which were where first-down distance was five yards or below. The passing offense as a whole only averaged 4.8 yards per pass as many of the intermediate routes were heavily inaccurate.

The weather conditions were not very favorable for the Jags in this game, but there were many points and easy throws that were left on the field no matter the conditions. Jake Luton hasn’t provided a noticeable upgrade at the quarterback position, which makes his stock drop just slightly. The rookie has fared well in only his second start but the Jaguars’ offense has still seen its fair share of problems regardless of the quarterback.

Jags come up short after taking Packers to the limit in 24-20 loss

The Jags took one of the league’s best teams in the Packers to the limit Sunday, but ultimately came up short in a nail-biter.

The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped their eighth consecutive loss Sunday against the Green Bay Packers by a score of 24-20, but once again made their performance a very watchable one for their fanbase. They started the first half with some fire and even tied the score up in the second half at 17-17.

The first quarter was a bit of a shocker as Aaron Rodgers and company struggled to get going, leaving it scoreless and trailing the Jags — although it was just by a field goal. The Packers ended up punting the ball three times in the first quarter, which marked a solid start for the Jags’ defense as they continued their progress from Week 9 against the Houston Texans.

However, when the second quarter rolled around, it didn’t take long for Green Bay to get cooking. In fact, the team was able to get on the board during the very first possession of the quarter thanks to a deep 78-yard connection between Rodgers and receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

The Packers didn’t stop there, however, scoring another touchdown on a Rodgers rushing attempt and a field goal from Mason Crosby before the half could end.

As for the Jags, they had arguably their biggest highlight play of the game, which was a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown by receiver Keelan Cole. After fielding a punt deep in the Jags’ territory, he gutted their punt team and found himself in a one-on-one foot race with punter JK Scott. Cole gave the third-year punter a juke move and put him on skates, then proceeded to blaze past him for the end zone.

As a result of the return, the Jags jumped to a 10-7 lead, though Crosby’s field goal and Rodgers’ rushing touchdown put them in the lead by a score of 17-10 before the half.

In the third quarter, the Jags’ defense stepped up once again garnering a fumble and a recovery during the Packers’ first possession of the second half. The turnover came on a hustle play by first-round pick C.J. Henderson, who allowed Davante Adams to get a catch on him, then advance the football up the field. The rookie cornerback continued to hustle though, sneaking up behind Adams and stripping the ball away. Linebacker Myles Jack then scooped up the ball in Green Bay territory and advanced it up the field to their 16-yard line.

The Jags’ offense, which had previously struggled under rookie quarterback Jake Luton, then took the field and took advantage of the good field positioning with a touchdown pass. Luton was able to thread the needle and throw a strike in the middle of the Packers’ goal-line defense, hitting Keelan Cole on a 12-yard slant pattern. As a result, the score was knotted up at 17-17 at the 10:30 mark in the third quarter.

However, the Jags’ momentum continued throughout the third quarter as the defense caused a turnover on downs and also garnered an interception courtesy of cornerback Sidney Jones IV, who made several other plays for the Jags.

The offense was also able to add another field goal early in the fourth quarter, putting the score at 20-17, but the Packers ultimately were able to get a touchdown roughly at the nine-minute mark, moving the score to its final figure of 24-20.

Ultimately, it appears the game came down to the struggles of Luton, who was only 18-of-35 for 169 yards, one touchdown, and a pick. Of course, he should probably get the benefit of the doubt because it was only his second start, but there was simply little margin for error against a great like Rodgers. At the same time, the rookie definitely should remain the starter if Minshew isn’t ready to return, as there have been some solid plays made on his part.

As for the Jags in general, they fell to 1-8 as Doug Marrone continues to fight for his job. Oddly enough, this is a loss that Jags fans can once again live with as there is a bigger goal at stake: acquiring a top-2 pick and having a shot at Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields if the front office wants to take one. To be competitive in the process is a bonus the fans will gladly take — and it also further proves they are a signal-caller and a few other pieces away from being a solid team.

The Jags’ next game will take place at TIAA Bank Field against their old rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Jags being competitive dating back to Week 7, it won’t be shocking if it remains that way again though the Steelers are rightfully viewed as the favorites.

Jags RB Chris Thompson ruled questionable to return vs. Packers

The Jags could be down a running back in the second half as Chris Thompson is dealing with a back injury.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars’ backfield might be a little thinner as running back Chris Thompson left the game due to being evaluated for a concussion. While his concussion evaluation went positively, he was still ruled questionable in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers with a separate injury to his back.

With Thompson dealing with his injury, Dare Ogunbowale has seen a few offensive snaps on the field. Both he and James Robinson will continue to hold it down if Thompson remains sidelined once the game continues after half time as the only two active running backs for Week 10.

 

More updates will be available as information becomes forthcoming.

Jags release inactives list for Week 10 game vs. Packers

The Jags’ Week 10 list of inactives included no surprises as notable like Brandon Linder and Gardner Minshew were on it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have released their inactives list for Week 10’s game against the Green Bay Packers, which included seven players. As expected, there were no surprises with many of the listed players being ruled out on Friday and Saturday (or prior).

Rookie Jake Luton will be getting the start in Gardner Minshew’s place for the second straight week as the second-year player continues to nurse a thumb injury.

Receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., linebacker Dakota Allen, running back Devine Ozigbo, and defensive tackle Doug Costin were also ruled OUT on the final injury report. Center Brandon Linder was downgraded from questionable to OUT on Saturday so he didn’t make the trip either. Starting in his place will be veteran Tyler Shatley.

The Jags added receiver Terry Godwin from practice squad with Shenault out to put them at five receivers. They also promoted linebacker Joe Giles-Harris to help their numbers within the linebacking corps with Allen being ruled out.

The list of Packers inactives can be found here.

Watch: Josh Allen works out shirtless at chilly Lambeau Field

The cold seemingly won’t be an issue for Jags DE Josh Allen as he took Lambeau Field shirtless for a pregame work out.

With Aaron Rodgers set to take the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense this afternoon, defensive end Josh Allen is going to have to play out of his mind for the team to get a win. His pregame work out would seem to indicate he’s ready to do just that as he took to the chilly Lambeau Field shirtless.

As we’ve mentioned all week, the Jags and Packers will be enduring some winter-like conditions Sunday as the temperature is currently at 39° with wind speeds of 27 miles per hour and wind gusts of 37 miles per hour.

Makes you feel cold thinking about it, right?

Allen will enter Sunday’s game with 11 tackles on the season and 2.5 sacks. While his stats haven’t been identical to those of his rookie season when it comes to bringing down the quarterback, it’s worth mentioning he’s silently garnered a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.6. That said, it would be nice to see him make it home a few times as Rodgers will undoubtedly carve up the Jags’ No. 31 ranked defense if Allen is stopped.

Jaguars vs. Packers: 3 keys to a Jacksonville victory

The Jags are going to have to play a perfect game to beat the Packers and that will involve several rookies stepping up.

On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars will undoubtedly face their toughest task of the 2020 season as they make a trip to Wisconsin to face the 6-2 Green Bay Packers.

Whilst the Packers are currently tied for the top seed in the NFC with Aaron Rodgers playing great football, the Jaguars are enduring a seven-game slide. The Jags are also two losses away from handing owner Shad Khan his 100th in just his tenth season of ownership.

However, winning this matchup is not an impossible task for Jacksonville, but it will need to be a perfect game on all three levels. Anything less and the talent on the Packers will come to the fore. If the Jaguars are to win this afternoon, they will have to focus on executing these three points:

Control the clock

Jake Luton looked relatively comfortable in his first NFL start against the Houston Texans, but with teams now having film to study it might be difficult for him to maintain that level of production heading forward. Add in the issues the wind conditions could provide for the rookie, and it feels like a victory will be even harder to acquire.

The best way for the Jaguars to establish a foothold in this game will be on the ground with star rusher James Robinson. The undrafted free-agent running back has undoubtedly been the brightest spot on the offense all year— and that needs to continue. If he’s able to establish a rhythm early and dictate the pace of this game, it would help Luton tremendously as well as the defense by keeping Rodgers on the sidelines.

Pressure Aaron Rodgers

The only way the Jags are going to force Rodgers into mistakes is by pressuring him early and often. Rookie defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton is really coming into his own as the season progresses and the team will be hoping he can continue his success and create opportunities for Josh Allen.

It has been widely documented that the Jaguars are struggling to get pressure off the edge so far this season, with a league-worst eight sacks on the year. However, the team has been getting pressure on a more consistent basis as of their last few games (ranked 25th), but still need to get the quarterback on the ground. If that changes today and Jacksonville defenders are able to get their hands on Rodgers they will find it easier to slow down the Packers’ offensive unit.

Double team Davante Adams, every down

Rookie cornerback CJ Henderson did not enjoy last week against Will Fuller, getting scorched for a 70-plus yard touchdown on a play that does not cover the ninth-overall pick in much glory. With his recent struggles in mind, it would be wise for Todd Wash to assign some help when it comes to covering Davante Adams.

Adams’ 2020 tape is asserting him as one of the elite-tier receivers in the NFL and he’s probably looking forward to the opportunity to pick on a rookie defensive back one-on-one. If this team wants to slow the Packers down, then they have to find a way to slow Adams too, which is easier said than done.

Jags cornerbacks coach Tim Walton misses trip for personal reasons

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be short one staff member Week 10 as Tim Walton didn’t travel to Green Bay with the team.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars take the field against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, they will be without one member of their coaching staff in cornerbacks coach Tim Walton. Per the team, Walton didn’t travel to Lambeau Field for personal reasons not connected to COVID-19.

With Walton absent, the Jags secondary coach duties will be on safeties coach, Joe Danna, who has been with the team for three seasons but is currently in his 15th season as an NFL coach.

As for Walton, 2020 marks his second year with the Jags though he’s been coaching in the NFL for 11 seasons. During his time in Jacksonville, he’s coach players like Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in the past while also coaching the Jags’ current group of CJ Henderson, Tre Herndon, Sidney Jones IV, and D.J. Hayden among notables.

When looking at the year as a whole, the Jags’ secondary has struggled mightily, but the pass-rush hasn’t done them any favors either aside from a couple of games. As a result, Henderson (56.3) and Herndon (46.9) haven’t garnered favorable Pro Football Focus grades, though Jones has (71.3).

With Walton staying at home, the Jags’ secondary and Danna are going to have to press on against former NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. With wind speeds of 24 miles per hour expected, the passing game could be limited, which would be a huge help.