3 things to know when Jacksonville takes on the New York Jets on Sunday
Jacksonville is coming off a disappointing loss to one of the worst teams in the AFC in the Houston Texans, who won 30-16 on Sunday to sweep the Jags for the season. They now sit at just 2-12, and with coach Urban Meyer already being fired, this team is just trying to limp its way to the finish line.
But there are three more games before it can get there, and the first is a road matchup against another AFC cellar-dweller in the New York Jets, who sit at 3-11. The Jets finished just one game better than the Jaguars last season, and they’re on a similar pace again this time around.
A win may not do Jacksonville a lot of favors, as the team currently sits in position to pick first overall once again, but this is a squad still trying to find any positive momentum to build off heading into the offseason.
With that in mind, here are three things to know about the matchup against New York at MetLife Stadium.
Another rookie quarterback battle
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We saw rookie Trevor Lawrence face off against a fellow first-year quarterback in Davis Mills last week, with Mills getting the upper hand. This time around, it’s a battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks as the Jags prepare to take on Zach Wilson.
The Brigham Young University product hasn’t had a good rookie season, either, as he’s completing just 56.2% of his passes with six touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. He missed part of the season with an injury, but his return hasn’t sparked a lot of success for New York.
Four different quarterbacks have started for the team this season, and none has been the clear answer. Wilson was expected to take a bit more time to get used to the NFL level than Lawrence, but neither has had a very good season. After getting outshined by Mills last week, Lawrence will look to solidify himself as the better pick on Sunday.
Jags look to remain perfect against AFC East competition
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Despite the frustration of this season for the Jaguars, they have inexplicably found success against the AFC East despite it being one of football’s tougher conferences. They won their first game this year in London against a Miami Dolphins team that was struggling at the time but now sits at 7-7, and they upset an 8-6 Buffalo Bills team at home in November.
If Jacksonville can beat two of the division’s three teams that are over .500, surely it can take down the worst team in the division. Facing bad teams hasn’t exactly given this squad a boost, as we saw last week, but perhaps it can take down the Jets with a full week of preparation under interim coach Darrell Bevell.
It’s unlikely that the Jags go undefeated against the division, as they still have a road matchup against one of the best teams in the AFC in the New England Patriots, but the team could earn its third AFC East win this week.
Something has to give on offense
Bob Self/Florida Times-Union
Earlier in the season, Jacksonville’s offense looked like it was very close to clicking while the defense lagged behind. Now, that script has completely flipped. It’s the defense that appears solid while the offense has struggled to find any production whatsoever. Even facing one of the league’s worst defenses last week against the Texans wasn’t enough for the Jags to turn things around, though the offense did move the ball a bit better.
This week presents another matchup against a struggling defense. The Jets have the second-worst defense in football and rank near the bottom of the league in both passing and rushing defense. This is once again a good matchup for both Trevor Lawrence and James Robinson, and if the offense is going to have a game that gives you confidence in the direction it’s heading for 2022, that will have to come this week as the final two games are much tougher.
Aside from a four-interception day against the Titans two weeks ago, Lawrence has done a better job taking care of the football in recent weeks but has just one touchdown pass in the team’s last seven games. That just simply isn’t going to cut it, and in a game where Robinson should be able to set up the passing game, Lawrence needs to play well this week.
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