The Green Bay Packers will try to keep their four-game winning streak alive when they travel to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. The Jaguars are 2-5, but picked up a massive win for the second of two straight games in London.
Can the Packers end their four-game AFC South streak with a victory over the Jaguars on Sunday?
Here’s a closer look at the Jaguars heading into Week 8:
Last week (win, 32-16 over Patriots)
For the second week in a row, the Packers will play an AFC South team coming off a win over the New England Patriots. The Jaguars lost 10-0 in London, but scored 25 straight points between the second and third quarters to break the game open. Freshman Brian Thomas Jr. he caught a touchdown pass and running back Tank Bigsby had a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Jaguars ahead, and Parker Washington’s 96-yard punt gave Jacksonville a 12-point lead at halftime. Bigsby capped off the victory with a 4-yard behind schedule touchdown run. Trevor Lawrence completed 15 of 20 passes after a sturdy performance, Bigsby ran 26 times for 118 yards, and the Jaguars defense held Drake Maye and the Patriots to just 295 yards. Jacksonville did not allow a sack or turnover, and Doug Pederson’s team committed only four penalties. Overall a great effort to complete my two week stay in London.
Playing quarterback
Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, is a bit of a mystery. He is undeniably talented, but the numbers show that his passing is inconsistent. In seven games, Lawrence has seven touchdown passes and three interceptions, and has a completion percentage of 62.1, a yards per attempt average of 7.2 (currently career high) and a passer rating of 92.3. He performed particularly well in the depth attack, with 15 catches of 20 or more yards (first) and 541 yards on deep passes (first). PFF grades Lawrence eighth out of 28 qualifying quarterbacks. His passing target was cut 10.3 percent, which is the highest in the NFL, so his low completion percentage heading into 2024 is easily explained. Under pressure, Lawrence is averaging 4.2 yards per attempt, fourth-lowest among quarterbacks. Pressure will be key as Lawrence has been very effective with pristine hands.
Line of scrimmage
Five basic offensive players played in all seven games. Only 29.2 percent of Trevor Lawrence’s failures were due to pressure, the third-lowest percentage among quarterbacks. The Jaguars rank 11th in pass-blocking efficiency in PFF competition. Lawrence was sacked 15 times in seven games. The Jaguars are averaging 5.1 yards per carry – including 6.2 yards from Tank Bigsby – and three different running backs are scoring over 50 percent. Defensively, the Jaguars are giving up just 4.2 yards per carry, seventh-best in football, but they only have 16 sacks. Both Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker have over 25 pressures as edge rushers. The interior of the defensive line is a tender point.
Turnover
In seven games, the Jaguars turned the ball over just seven times, three of them without turnovers. However, their turnover loss is still -4 as the defense has only generated three takeaways, which ranks second most in football. The terrible pass defense has just one interception despite 253 pass attempts. Of the three fumbles forced by the defense, two were recovered. Trevor Lawrence has only three steals and currently has the best steal percentage of his career.
Injury situations
Left tackle Cam Robinson will be in the concussion protocol ending in Week 7. Returner Travis Etienne missed last week’s win with a hamstring injury, but could return on Sunday. Top linebacker Foyesade Oluokun and special teamer Andrew Wingard are on injured reserve, but both were scheduled to return to the field this week. The Jaguars are a relatively well football team entering Week 8.
Players worth knowing
S Darnell Savage: The former Packer has played mostly in the slot this season. Even though he played closer to the line of scrimmage, he was still a major part of the defense.
WR Brian Thomas Jr.: The rookie first-round pick leads the Jaguars in catches (30), receiving yards (513) and touchdowns (4). He is a legitimate sedate threat.
FROM Travon Walker: The first overall pick in 2022 will have 6.0 sacks to start in 2024. Walker, while not as dominant as Josh Hines-Allen, is starting to consistently impact games as a pass rusher.
CB Ronald Darby: The veteran corner allowed him to pass for 372 yards, third-most among cornerbacks this season. Quarterbacks are completing 76.3 percent of their passes and have three passing touchdowns and zero picks when targeting Darby.
