The Jacksonville Jaguars need a win more so than any other team in football this weekend. Currently on a four-game skid, Jacksonville has gone from division title contenders to being near the top of the draft order in less than a month.
Unfortunately, the games don’t get any easier heading forward. Sunday’s opponents, the Los Angeles Chargers, are undeniably talented but are enduring a difficult season of their own, too. Thanks to divisional losses, they’ve found themselves at the bottom of the AFC West, though they have some big wins against the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and the 9-3 Green Bay Packers.
If Jacksonville is to stop the bleeding and avoid being condemned to their eleventh losing season in the last 12 years, they will have to stick to a clear game-plan.
Take the pressure off Gardner Minshew II
Gardner Minshew II has been reinserted as the Jaguars’ starter ahead of this game, but if the Jaguars end up relying on “Minshew Mania” too heavily for the win today then they have let their rookie quarterback down. The Jaguars have a running back playing at a Pro Bowl level this season in Leonard Fournette, and he should be utilized heavily in Sunday’s game.
The Chargers pass defense is fourth-best in the country, with the secondary continuing to shut down receivers and Derwin James set to start in his second game of the season coming back from a foot injury. This means offensive coordinator John DeFilippo will need to lean on his running back for the win Sunday.
This year Fournette has established himself as an option out of the backfield whilst continuing to impose himself as a powerful runner. Chargers’ pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are both exceptional at getting after the quarterback, and with Minshew’s documented fumbling issues, Fournette should be the feature of Sunday’s game if the Jags want to minimize turnover opportunities.
Did somebody say just eat? This team needs a takeway
The Sacksonville moniker has lasted even despite the Jaguars’ struggles this season as the team is currently tied for sixth in the league in sacks. Unfortunately for defensive coordinator Todd Wash, his unit isn’t generating anywhere near enough turnovers.
Saying the defense is banged up as an understatement, but the Jaguars still have talent at each level. Luckily for the Jaguars, Philip Rivers has seriously struggled in recent weeks, throwing eight picks in his last three games. The Chargers quarterback is a free-agent at the end of the season, and if he is to continue his current streak of poor performances, there is a chance they might go in a different direction in 2020.
Jacksonville needs to be able to pressure Rivers into making more mistakes and win the turnover battle if they are to win this week.
Take the lead early and never look back
When asking a majority of their fans, most Chargers fans would agree that the team’s losses follow the same trend. They let the opposition take an early lead, then battle back late in the game only to lose the game in agonizing fashion.
If the Jaguars are able to get in front, they can’t be the Chargers and allow the opposition to find a way back into the game. Unfortunately, there have been too many times with Wash as defensive coordinator where the Jaguars have shown a complete inability to finish games.
It’s a big ask to task a team plagued by injuries, lacking confidence and quarterbacked by a sixth-round rookie to completely dictate the pace of the game. However, it feels as though if the Chargers are able to manufacture some momentum in this game, they might finally win one at the end. So to win this game, the clock, the scoreboard and this game’s momentum all need to be dictated by the Jaguars.
