The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t have a game this week but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to talk about.
As of now, the Jaguars currently sit in fourth place in the AFC South due to the Tennessee Titans’ victory against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jaguars will get the chance to improve on their standing in the division when they take on their AFC South rivals in the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
As the Jaguars prepare for their matchup, here are some good, bad and ugly tidbits as the exit their bye week.
The good: So you’re saying there’s a chance?
If the Jags want to make a playoff push, they have the schedule to do it.
The Jaguars’ opponents have a combined record of 29-36, which is good for a .402 win percentage. The Jaguars have not lost to a team with a win percentage below .500 this year, going 4-0 in those specific meetings. The three teams who they will face after the bye week with losing records include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons.
This could be a prime opportunity to make a run for the postseason.
The bad: The question marks that still surround Nick Foles
Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles will get the start against the Indianapolis Colts. While the team is understandably excited to see his return, there are still questions on if he can replicate the same success that he had with the Philadelphia Eagles where he won the Super Bowl and was named Super Bowl MVP.
Foles was injured in an early season game against the Kansas City Chiefs where he only attempted eight passes. The injury occurred on the first touchdown pass of the year when he was taken down after hitting DJ Chark deep down the sideline.
Fans really haven’t seen Foles take a significant amount of snaps this season and attempting to re-create the same magic he had with the Eagles may not be fully possible. Fans also have questions as to how well Foles will fare with the injury while taking the field for a substantial amount of time. Even for him, it could prove to be a tall task to just pick up where he left off after missing the amount of time he did, but ultimately time will tell.
The ugly: Addressing the penalty problem
Penalties have been a thorn in the Jaguars side this season.
The Jaguars will enter Week 11 tied at the No. 10 spot in terms of penalties, with 70 enforced penalties to their names.
One striking statistic is that the bulk of the penalties come from the offensive line, as the Jaguars lead the league in holding calls with 19. The Jaguars’ offensive line has struggled tremendously in pass protection as Jaguars center Brandon Linder is their highest graded lineman, per Pro Football focus, coming in with a 63.0 grade.
The Colts are one of the least penalized teams coming in at the fourth-lowest amount of penalties with 53. Simply put, this means the Jaguars will have to play more disciplined football if they look to take down their rivals.
