The Green Bay Packers will not enter Sunday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars expecting an uncomplicated road win.
Coach Matt LaFleur noted that the Jaguars – who are 2-5 – have lost three of their first four games by five points or less and could easily break their winning record in Week 8.
“I think if you look at this team, they lost the game by three, four and five points. In the games against Houston and Miami they were in command, they could have gone 5-2 and now they are in the same position as us,” LaFleur said Wednesday.
The Jaguars started 0-4 but have won two of their last three games – 37-34 against the Indianapolis Colts and 32-16 against the New England Patriots last week in London. Doug Pederson’s team led 14-0 and 17-7 in the first half of the season opener in Miami, but lost. Three weeks later, the Jaguars led 7-0 early and 20-17 behind schedule, but couldn’t hold on in a loss to Texas.
LaFleur sees a talented team with a good teenage point guard in Trevor Lawrence, weapons throughout the offense and two devastating forwards on defense.
“They have weapons at every stage of the game,” LaFleur said. “They have receivers that are explosive. The tight end is explosive. They have two runners. They have a franchise quarterback. I think on the defensive side of the ball, their ability to get after the quarterback is real. They have two Edge Rush players who are among the best in the game. For teams that are playing, they returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown last week. We have to play consistently for four quarters against this team. It’s a very good team. Again, this is the National Football League, so you better be prepared to play your best each week.
Around Lawrence, the Jaguars have running backs Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne, receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, and tight end Evan Engram. The Jaguars’ five preferred offensive linemen have started every game this season.
Lawrence, the first overall pick in 2021, has nine touchdown passes and just three interceptions in seven games.
“I see an elite point guard who can make every throw and beat with his legs. I don’t think there’s anything he can’t do,” LaFleur said. “He has some weapons on him. It will be a good challenge for us.”
Among those weapons is Engram, who LaFleur called “a revolution of the game.” Last season, the veteran quarterback caught 114 passes.
“At that speed, you don’t get a lot of sharp situations,” LaFleur said.
Bigsby is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has 126 yards per carry in London. Etienne has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Thomas, a rookie first-round pick, has 30 catches for 513 yards and four touchdowns, including an 85-yarder. Kirk scored nearly 2,000 yards in his first two seasons in Jacksonville. Davis caught 27 touchdown passes in four seasons with Josh Allen in Buffalo.
Defensively, edge rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker – two highly drafted players – are very disruptive. Both have over 25 pressures this season. Walker has 6.0 sacks.
Last week, Parker Washington returned a punt 96 yards for the game-winning touchdown. According to PFF’s grade, the Jaguars are one of the NFL’s best teams on special teams.
It’s clear that LaFleur doesn’t see the 2-5 Jaguars as your typical struggling team lacking talent.
“Pretty strong lineup,” LaFleur said.
Coming off a thrilling home win over the Texans, the Packers must now hit the road to face a team loaded with talent that is desperate to get their season back on track. Can LaFleur’s team rise to the challenge and complete their push into the AFC South?
