3 bold predictions for Bucs vs. Jags

DJ Chark could be up for another game with two touchdowns and 120-plus yards as the Bucs are struggling mightily against the pass.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking to start the month of December on the right track this Sunday against their in-state rivals in the Tampa Bay Bucs. Both teams will come into the game below .500, but most fans would agree they have the talent to make this game competitive and interesting.

Here are three bold predictions for Sunday’s game, which will take place at TIAA Bank Field:

Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

WR DJ Chark Jr. will have his second 150-plus yard day with two touchdowns

The Jags will be up against the No. 31 ranked passing defense (289.9 YPG average) Sunday, which sets DJ Chark Jr. and the passing game up to eat. He’s been Nick Foles’ favorite receiver since his return from collarbone surgery and that likely won’t change this year.

Despite the success of Foles’ and Chark’s connection, the young receiver had his second-lowest receiving yards total of the year last week against the Tennessee Titans (38). Typically when he doesn’t get going and/or Leonard Fournette struggles, the Jags normally don’t have a good day on offense. That said, they need to get to Chark early and often.

There will be times where he and the Jags’ other receivers are lining up against rookie cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who is learning the game. He currently has a grade of 58.5 on Pro Football Focus while Chark is one of the highest-graded Jags on the roster with a 80.7. Those numbers alone should warrant a lot of targets for Chark.

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3 Jaguars to watch on defense vs. Bucs

The Jags defense will need to have a solid day Sunday against the Bucs passing attack, which could lead to Josh Allen getting more snaps.

The Jacksonville Jaguars went winless in November and will look to get away from that in December. First up on their schedule for the upcoming month are their in-state rivals in the Tampa Bay Bucs, who are coming off a solid win against the Atlanta Falcons.

Here are three Jaguars to watch on the defensive side of the ball, as the Jags try to cool down a hot Bucs offense:

Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

CB Tre Herndon

The Jags’ passing defense will be very important in Sunday’s game. Bruce Arians has his group clicking through the air as they rank fourth in passing yards (288.1 YPG), fourth in total yards (386.4 YPG) and third in points scored (28.4 PPG).

A big part of their success is due to their dynamic duo at the receiver position in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, who have nine and seven touchdowns on the season, respectively. Both receivers will also roll into Sunday’s game with over 1,000 yards receiving and will be matched up against A.J. Bouye and Tre Herndon.

With Arians and former Jags quarterback turned coordinator Byron Leftwich making the game-plan, the Cards will test Herndon more than Bouye, and he must answer the call as he did against the New York Jets when he had two picks. However, if he doesn’t it could be a long day for the Jags on defense.

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5 takeaways from Tom Coughlin’s first presser since draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked their fanbase by holding a press conference for executive Vice President of football operations Tom Coughlin, who has never spoken to the media in the regular season. He made it clear that the Jags have zero excuses …

Here are some takeaways we came away with in listening to the 13 minute presser:

Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

The point of the presser may have been to rally the fans more than to explain their issues

It initially looked as though the front office heard the fans’ cry to hear from someone in the front office about the Jags’ issues, but in the end, that wasn’t the case. While Coughlin did offer some thoughts on the team’s issues, it wasn’t much. Instead, he spoke to rally the fans, attempting to convince them that there is still a chance for a winning season.

Coughlin never addresses the media during the regular season, prompting reporters to ask if he was told or asked to have his presser. He insisted that wasn’t the case, but when considering the presser didn’t offer much insight into the team’s struggles, fans can’t help but think the opposite.

Only time will tell if the fans show up for the Jags’ next three home games, but it would be hard to blame them if they didn’t. Sure, Coughlin was right when he said the team has a chance for a winning season, but their performance in the last three games makes it difficult to see the Jags having a drastic turnaround.

Simply put, deploying Coughlin to rally support and optimism likely isn’t going to work as it would’ve in 2017. What will work is Khan putting a winning product on the field. and it’s hard to have faith that his current front office and coaching staff can do that.

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Jaguars’ frustrating loss leads to Yannick Ngakoue flipping Titans off

Yannick Ngakoue, who is tired of losing like Jags fans, let the Titans know just how he felt after Week 12’s loss.

The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered an embarrassing 42-20 loss against the Tennessee Titans, leading to the team’s third straight 20-plus point loss. Of course, with the fanbase already on edge from Shad Khan’s latest interview, the Jags embarrassing display once again riled up the fanbase, who simply want to see their beloved Jags win.

However, the fans seemingly weren’t the only ones upset by the 42-20 display as defensive end Yannick Ngakoue ended the game giving the Titans’ sideline a piece of his mind with a certain one-fingered gesture late in the fourth quarter.

Ngakoue with the bird on tv – just flipped off Titans

— Brent Martineau (@BrentASJax) November 24, 2019

Ngakoue’s display comes after a game in which he had a pretty solid performance, accumulating two tackles and another strip-sack to his résumé, so it’s easy to see where the frustration came from — though it’s still not excusable.

The fourth-year pass rusher is in a contract year and many fans believe he has well earned an extension. In just four seasons, Ngakoue has already surpassed all but Tony Brackens on the all-time sack list in franchise history, with an impressive 35.5 sacks to his name. Regardless of who the staff is, time is surely running out to re-sign the star pass-rusher.

Ngakoue unquestionably isn’t the only player frustrated after this rough season as his teammates can’t be happy either. That said, changes will likely come and we will be sure to keep a close eye on the key decisions that will be made in the coming weeks.

Jaguars vs. Titans: 3 matchups to watch

The Jags will need to win some key matchups Sunday to overtake the Titans and one of them is the battle between Fournette and Rashaan Evans.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) and Tennessee Titans (5-5) will clash for their second time in 2019 with their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread. Needless to say, that means neither team can take a loss in Sunday’s matchup, which will come down to a few key matchups. Here are three we’ll be watching in particular:

Edge rushers Yannick Ngakoue and Josh Allen vs. offensive tackles Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin

While the Jags aren’t quite where they want to be record-wise, fans who like breaking down the film should at least be happy to see this matchup regardless of the outcome. It’s rare to see two tandems of this magnitude duke it out on the edge and I’ve personally been waiting to see this matchup since Josh Allen was selected by the Jags.

In the Jags’ and Titans’ Week 3 meeting, Taylor Lewan was suspended and his absence showed as quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked nine times. Now he’s back and the playing field is level. With that being the case, it will be interesting to see how Yannick Ngakoue and Allen respond to the tandem as Lewan and Jack Conklin are regarded as one of the NFL’s top bookend duos.

RB Leonard Fournette vs. ILB Rashaan Evans

Leonard Fournette wants more carries and the Jags want to give him that. That said, if the Jags give him the ball as most suspect he’ll have to deal with the Titans leading tackler in Rashaan Evans. These two are quite familiar with each other after their time in the Southeastern Conference and now the rivalry has followed them to the league due to being selected by the Jags and Titans.

Evans will enter the game with 82 tackles while Fournette will enter the game with 854 rushing yards and one touchdown. As we’ve mentioned in the past, he’s struggled against the Titans. Throughout, four starts against them, he’s garnered 62 carries for 211 yards (good for a 3.4 YPC average) and a touchdown, which is not an impressive stat line. Simply put, that needs to change Sunday if the Jags want to win.

LB Myles Jack vs. RB Derrick Henry

This kind of goes back to what was said in our bold predictions post when I mentioned that Myles Jack is the most criticized player on the Jags’ defense — and rightfully so. He hasn’t played to his contract extension this season and will need to flip the switch quick as he’s played so poorly to the point where many have been wondering if he needs to change positions.

Jack likely understands he’s fallen short of expectations more than anyone and could play with his hair on fire against the Titans. With Derrick Henry expected to lead their offense, he’ll receive ample carries and Jack could make a statement Sunday by holding him in check and acquiring double-digit tackles on the day.

Winners and losers from Jags vs. Colts

The Jags’ performance against the Colts was very poor but Yannick Ngakoue was solid as usual.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts duked it out at Lucas Oil Field Sunday afternoon and it didn’t end well for the Jags. In fact, it was a beatdown for the Cardiac Cats, who fell by a score of 33-13.

As there is in any game there were some players (and coaches) who came out winners and losers from the process and here are four members of the Jags in particular who caught our eyes:

Winners

WR D.J. Chark Jr.

DJ Chark Jr. is a player who we’ve often placed here in the winners category and with Nick Foles back under center, he didn’t disappoint once again. Chark had his third 100-yard game of the year and second game with two touchdowns. He set the tone early by linking up with Foles for a touchdown pass in the first quarter and was the most consistent player throughout the game.

Although the game had gotten out of hand late, he added another touchdown reception to his résumé, giving him eight on the season which is tied for the most in the league. The 104 yards he was able to accumulate on the day also put him at 796 yards total on the season, good for ninth in the league.

Chark’s performance against the Colts No. 9 ranked defense further makes his case to attend the Pro Bowl this season after a drastically improving upon his rookie season. At the rate he’s going he’ll eclipse 1,000 yards in two to three weeks, which hasn’t been done since 2015 when the Allen Brothers did it.

DE Yannick Ngakoue

In a performance where the Jags’ defense was gashed and allowed 264 rushing yards, there was some good play on the edge. Yannick Ngakoue, in particular, was a player who caught my eyes on several occasions as he was a handful for the Colts talented offensive line.

Ngakoue ultimately finished the day with four tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Unfortunately, the Jags weren’t able to recover the fumble, however, that’s certainly not his fault.

Many fans already had questions as to why Ngakoue hasn’t gotten paid yet and the performance he had against a quality Colts unit will only make fans scratch their heads more. Then again, maybe the front office will have a change of heart and get something done as Ngakoue now has 34.5 career sacks to his name and has been a turnover causing machine for the franchise

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2020 Pro Bowl: Voting is now live for your favorite Jaguars

Jags fans can now vote for their favorite players to make the Pro Bowl.

As of Tuesday Nov. 12, Jacksonville Jaguars fans can now vote for their favorite players to be named to the 2020 Pro Bowl.

Just as they did last season players, coaches, and fans will all have a say in what players are voted into the Pro Bowl as each party will represent one-third of the voting process. Both the National Football Conference and American Football Conference will name 44 total players to their respective rosters and fan voting will end in exactly a month (Dec. 12). Afterward, the players who are nominated will be announced on NFL Network on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. EST.

While the Jags haven’t quite had the season they were hoping for, they have several players worthy of making the AFC roster. Before their bye week, running back Leonard Fournette was the AFC’s leading rusher with 831 yards, while DJ Chark was previously the AFC’s leading receiver with 692 yards.

On the defensive side, Calais Campbell has continued to defy his age as Pro Football Focus has him graded as the league’s second-best interior defender (91.5). Meanwhile, his comrades Yannick Ngakoue and rookie Josh Allen have been quite the pass-rushing duo, with four and seven sacks, respectively.

Lastly, place kicker Josh Lambo has absolutely been money, going 22-of-22 on his field goal attempts. He has more attempts than any other kicker who is 100 percent in the category, which makes a strong case for him to be considered the league’s best.

The Pro Bowl will take place just south of Jacksonville in Orlando, Fla., so fans of the Jags will be just two hours away. The game will take place on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 at Camping World Stadium at 3 p.m. EST via ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ABC and Disney XD.

For those who want to purchase tickets, pricing starts at $45 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.

Doug Marrone says Yannick Ngakoue has improved both against the run and as a pass rusher

Yannick Ngakoue hasn’t let the fact that the Jags elected not to pay him this offseason bother him, instead he’s made a stronger case.

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Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue may not have received the contract extension he was hoping for this offseason, but that hasn’t stopped him from going on the field and proving himself. In fact, despite having to battle through an injury, he’s been one of the defense’s best players (which is no surprise) accumulating 23 tackles, four sacks, a pick-six and a Pro Football Focus grade of 70.4.

Of course, one person who has taken note to Ngakoue’s 2019 campaign is Jags coach Doug Marrone, who praise the fourth year edge rusher’s efforts and told the media that he’s improved both as a pass rusher and run defender.

“When you see the production by him you have to remember that teams are doing a lot to stop him, especially in the pass rush phase,” Marrone said about Ngakoue. “He’s had a bunch of quality rushes, but he also has a bunch of double teams that he’s fighting through or chips. I think he has improved greatly in the run game; I think he’s done a really good job there, and I think he has improved as a pass rusher and has done an excellent job.”

Clearly, Marrone understands that having Ngakoue makes his roster better. He also understands that Ngakoue has been a key figure in his locker room when it comes to leadership — something the Jags lacked in 2018.

The Jags reportedly shot Ngakoue at least one deal this offseason which would’ve paid him over $50 million over two years and would’ve came in at an annual amount of $19 million, however, the guaranteed amount that would’ve came with that deal is unknown. At the rate he’s playing, there is certainly now a stronger case for a better deal and one in which should exceed two to three years. Add in the fact that the team already loss Jalen Ramsey earlier this season and it appears Ngakoue could put the Jags in a predicament where not paying him would absolutely look bad on the organization’s part.