Tag: Jacksonville Jaguars

3 things to know for Jaguars vs. Colts

Two starting quarterbacks return to the lineup in a heated AFC South battle. Here are three things to know before kickoff on Sunday.

This Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to Indianapolis to face off against the Colts in a heated, critical AFC South match-up. Both teams are hoping to make late-season pushes for the playoffs and remain in the hunt for a wild-card spot. Here are three things to know before kickoff on Sunday:

Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Healthy Quarterbacks

Both the Jaguars and Colts have been without their starting quarterbacks for some time after injuries sidelined the two, however, for Week 11, both Nick Foles and Jacoby Brissett are set to suit up. For Foles, this will be the first time since the first quarter of Week 1 that the high price free-agent acquisition will get to play.

The Jaguars benched the fan-favorite, Gardner Minshew, in favor of consistency and experience in hopes to spark a late season playoff run. The AFC wild-card race is very much wide open and Doug Marrone and his staff thought Foles gave the team the best chance to take advantage of the weaker AFC. This should be the first time Jags’ fans finally get to see what kind of player Foles really is.

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Doug Marrone praises Colts guard Quenton Nelson and discusses what makes him good

Doug Marrone knows a good offensive lineman when he sees one and praised Colts OG Quenton Nelson by calling him “one of the best” he’s seen.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the process of preparing for the Indianapolis Colts for a must-win game this Sunday. One of the stars they’ve likely been paying extra attention to is guard Quenton Nelson, who is one of the best players in the league. With that being the case, Jags coach Doug Marrone (a former offensive line coach himself) was asked about the second-year player and praised him by mentioning with two of his former offensive lineman in Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks.

“Probably. I’ve been fortunate, I’ve been around. When I was in New Orleans, I felt like I had the two best guards in the league with Jahri [Evans] and Carl Nicks,” said Marrone. “Very fortune to coach those guys. I think Quenton’s one of the best guards that I’ve seen throughout my whole time in the NFL. He’s an excellent football player.”

Afterward, Marrone went into the specifics of what makes Nelson elite, adding that he’s truly a student of the guard position.

“Strength, speed. Just finish-ability. Leverage, technique,” Marrone said about the traits in which make Nelson good. “I think if someone’s going to go draft a guard, and you’re a coach, and you want to go into management, you say, ’Hey, get me a guy like [Quenton].’ He’s an excellent, excellent, football player and he’s been an excellent football player from high school on up. From high school, went to Notre Dame, Harry [Hiestand] coached him at Notre Dame, he’s an NFL [offensive] line coach, he’s back in the NFL now. So technically, from that start, he’s been technically sound and he’s a master at what he does.”

Nelson has absolutely been a force of nature since entering the league and even during his time in Notre Dame. Some fans questioned Colts general manager Chris Ballard for taking him with the No. 6 selection of last year’s draft, however, he’s proven it was a smart move by earning Pro Bowl and First-team All-Pro honors as a rookie. He also earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 74.3 last year and has drastically improved as a player this year by upping his grade to a current figure of 89.4.

On film, Nelson is the all-around type of lineman the Jags could use in the interior. He’s nasty as a run blocker and is technically sound as a pass protector. With Sunday’s game being one in which will be won in the trenches, the Jags’ defensive line could have their work cut out for them against the young ascending talent.

NFL Week 11: How to survive and advance in your knockout pool

The Niners and Raiders are double-digit favorites in the same week for the first time since 1987. Does that make them safe picks?

The Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons combined to send many knockout pools to the finish line in Week 10. However, if you rolled the dice and went with the Bears against the Matthew Stafford-less Lions as a late audible, you were rewarded … barely. On to Week 11 as the drama builds and tension heightens.

Don’t think about it

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles get together for the first time since Super Bowl LII. This figures to be a great game to watch and if you somehow have either team available, keep them in the bank. The Rams and Bears get together again. Last year saw Chicago on top. Another game that is worth enjoying and not getting anywhere near. Would have to say the Steelers and Browns fall into this category. Pittsburgh is playing well and Cleveland is coming off a good win against Buffalo. It’s Thursday night and not worth ruining your weekend. The Texans and Ravens get together in what should be a showcase of two of the best QBs in the game, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson. This could come down to who has the ball last and that is not the memory you want to take away from being eliminated from a knockout pool. Not going to try and figure out what Colts team shows up to face the Jaguars. If Brian Hoyer plays again, stay far away from Indy. And, in the Monday night matchup, San Diego plays host to Kansas City in Mexico City. This could provide plenty of offensive fireworks and is a great way to finish NFL Week 11 by enjoying it and not having to choose sides.

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4 Jaguars the Colts must game plan for in Week 11

Watch out for the these Jaguars in Week 11.

After last week’s embarrassing loss to the Miami Dolphins at home, the Indianapolis Colts desperately need a rebound on Sunday when the Jaguars visit Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the first time these two teams meet this season.

The Jaguars will be going through a quarterback change this week as Nick Foles will be making his first start since he broke his collarbone Week 1 against Kansas City. Gardner Minshew has held down the fort but has ultimately struggled in recent weeks.

The offense will look different with Foles under center no doubt, but the way this season has gone anything can happen. Outside of the quarterback position, there are plenty of talented players on Jacksonville’s roster.

Here are four Jaguars the Colts must game plan to win in Week 11:

(Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports)

RB Leonard Fournette

The Colts have been getting better in run defense, but Fournette may be one of the better backs the Colts get to face this season. Averaging 4.8 yards per carry, he is a tough, downhill runner who can not be brought down with arm tackles.

Fournette has 831 yards on the year but only has gotten in the end zone once. The Jaguars struggle in the red zone and rarely turn to their running back in key third-down situations. Regardless, the Colts front seven must be able to stop Fournette if they want to pick up a win. By stopping him, the rest of their offensive scheme will suffer.

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Former Browns GM Michael Lombardi says Titans were split between Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill ahead of 2019 season

The Titans weren’t even through Week 6’s shutout loss to the Denver Broncos before they benched Mariota in favor of Tannehill.

The Tennessee Titans acquired former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill ahead of the season to serve as an insurance policy for starting quarterback, Marcus Mariota.

But the Titans weren’t even through Week 6’s shutout loss to the Denver Broncos before they benched Mariota in favor of Tannehill.

The team hasn’t looked back since, and Tannehill has completed 97-of-136 passes for 1,161 yards, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

Before Tannehill took over, Mariota was 94-of-159 passing for 1,179 yards, with seven touchdowns and two interceptions.

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According to former Cleveland Browns general manager Michael Lombardi on his “The GM Shuffle” podcast, the move to hand over the reins to Tannehill could have come much sooner than six games into the season.

He claims to have been informed of quarterback controversy earlier in the year, and that the decision to keep Mariota as the starter came down to the opinions of the front office.

“I was told this summer that the coaches really wanted to play Tannehill, but the front office was so endeared that they had to give this Mariota one more look,” he said.

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Regardless of whether or not this has any true substance to it, Tannehill is the man under center for Tennessee for the foreseeable future, and will be leading the charge as the Titans face the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars at 3:05 p.m. CT on Nov. 24.

Titans LT Taylor Lewan serves as an example of accountability to other NFL players

Lewan wasted no time taking responsibility for his blunders after Sunday’s 35-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Nissan Stadium.

Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan has almost set the team back more than he’s helped them move forward this season.

The culprit? Penalties.

Lewan wasted no time taking responsibility for his blunders after Sunday’s 35-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Nissan Stadium.

He’s now committed a team-high of nine penalties this year, despite being suspended for the first four games. No other Titans player has more than six penalties to their name in 2019.

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“First of all, before we even start this whole thing, my penalties are f—–g awful. I am 100 percent at issue with that,” Lewan said, per The Tennessean.

It goes without saying that Lewan’s errors are not purposeful, and that he means well.

“It is not intentional. I do not mean to do it. My intentions are good. I am just trying to finish, and it is killing the team. I know that. You guys know that. No one needs to call me out because I’ve got a voice. I am completely screwing the team with the amount of penalties I have had, what, these last six games.”

In a league where so many players are entitled and want to skate around owning their wrongdoings, it’s refreshing in a way to see the Pro Bowl offensive lineman boldly calling himself out.

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The Titans are on a bye this week, but will get back to action when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 24 at 3:05 p.m. CT on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Jags remain at No. 20 spot of USA TODAY power rankings after Week 10’s games

After their bye week and a crazy Week 10 chain of events for the rest of the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars remained at the No. 20 spot of USA TODAY’s power rankings. However, they have the opportunity to begin trending upwards Week 11 as Nick …

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After their bye week and a crazy Week 10 chain of events for the rest of the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars remained at the No. 20 spot of USA TODAY’s power rankings. However, they have the opportunity to begin trending upwards Week 11 as Nick Foles will be returning to the lineup as the Jags take on their longtime rivals in the Indianapolis Colts.

20. Jaguars (20): Fun fact — over course of his career, Nick Foles’ passer rating improves each successive month … so November/December exactly when you want him.

The Jags’ last game took place against another divisional rival in the Houston Texans, who handily beat the Jags Week 9 and caused them to drop to their current spot. Meanwhile, the Texans jumped to the No. 5 spot as a result of the win in last week’s power rankings but dropped to the No. 8 this week despite being on their bye week.

As for the Indianapolis Colts, they fell from the No. 11 spot to the No. 14 spot as a result to the Miami Dolphins upsetting them Sunday. Lastly, the Tennessee Titans jumped to the No. 18 spot (from No. 24) after upsetting a team, who most viewed as Super Bowl contenders in the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. That allowed them to leapfrog the Jags and make them the lowest ranked AFC South team of the power rankings.

Jags have the league’s eighth easiest remaining schedule

The Jags may have an uphill battle to endure to make the postseason, but at least their schedule is favorable in the process.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars may currently sit at 4-5 with the No. 10 seed in the AFC playoff picture but it appears the hardest part of their schedule is over with. In fact, as of Week 11, they have the league’s eighth easiest schedule according to the NFL Media Research Department as their opponents combine for a record of 29-36 (.446 percent).

This is great news when considering how the Jags have struggled against opponents with records of .500 or better. As of Week 11, the Jags are 1-5 against opponents who fit the bill. Of course, that one win was against the Tennessee Titans Week 3. Heading forward they will have to face four opponents with records of .500 or better in the Indianapolis Colts (twice), Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tampa Bay Bucs are the teams they face with losing records.

Another plus is that the Jags will have veteran quarterback Nick Foles back to help them navigate through the next two months. Given his résumé during his run with the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s possible he can string some wins together and get the team into the postseason, but only time will tell.

As for the rest of the AFC South, the Titans came in with the third toughest schedule (against a .611 win percentage), while the Houston Texans have the ninth toughest schedule (against a .554 win percentage) and the Colts came in with the 13th (against a .531 win percentage).

Former Longhorn Malik Jefferson waived by Cleveland Browns

Former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday

On Tuesday, former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns.

Jefferson is in just his second year as a pro. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the Browns in 2019, Jefferson only made an appearance in one game, and that game came in week one against the Titans. In that game, Jefferson recorded just one tackle.

Hopefully, we see Malik find a new home soon. After all, he was a third-round pick last year for a reason.

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NFL rooting guide: Who Jaguars fans should root for Week 11

As the No. 10 seed in the playoff picture, the Jags need some help to make the postseason and a loss for the Steelers would be a huge help.

With it being Week 11, the NFL playoffs will be here before fans know it. Of course, at 4-5 the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the teams who are currently in the hunt, however, if they are to make the postseason they will need some help in addition to handling their own business. That said, here’s a recap on how the AFC playoff picture looks after Week 10 and a rooting guide on who Jags fans should watch on Week 11:

1. New England Patriots (8-1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2)
3. Houston Texans (6-3)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
5. Buffalo Bills (6-3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)

7. Oakland Raiders (5-4)
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
9. Tennessee Titans (5-5)
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)

Rooting guide

(Thursday Night Football) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns – root for the Browns

Hardly ever will you catch Jags fans rooting for the Steelers and they will especially have a reason to root against them this week. After starting 1-3 during the first quarter of the season, Pittsburgh has clawed their way back to a 5-4 record by winning their last four games and have found themselves with the last wild-card spot. Needless to say, the Jags would gladly take some help from the Browns, who aren’t in the playoff picture currently but could spoil things for their divisional rival.

Sunday, 1 p.m. games

Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens – root for the Ravens

The Texans are the AFC South’s divisional leader with a 6-3 record and it would take a miracle for the Jags to catch them because they own the tiebreaker over them. However, Sunday’s game against the Ravens is the start of a tough stretch for Houston as they also play the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts afterward. That said, a skid can begin here for them as the Ravens are playing solid football as the No. 2 seed.

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins – root for the Dolphins

The Jags have a rivalry with Buffalo (6-3) as it is, however, they will really have a reason to root against them Week 11 as the Bills have the first wild-card spot. That said, they would gladly take some help from their Florida rivals Sunday. With the Dolphins being a divisional rival of the Bills, this could be a close one as they are on a two-game win streak currently and have some momentum.

Sunday, 4 p.m. games

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Oakland Raiders – root for the Bengals

The Raiders (5-4) are knocking on the door of getting a wild-card seed as they are the No. 7 ranked team in the playoff race. However, with the Bengals (0-9) being the league’s only winless team, Jags fans would unfortunately be asking for a lot here. Still, as we witnessed Week 10, upsets can happen and teams need to bring it week in and week out.