Fan Friday: Answering your questions about the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of Week 4

It's been a while since the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) have looked this good. After shutting out the Indianapolis Colts (1-1-1) in Week 2, the team turned around and did something it had never been able to do — defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on the West Coast.

Not only did they beat Los Angeles, but they did it in a convincing fashion, winning 38-10. It became the third-largest road-game victory deficit the Jaguars have had in its history. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is already being revered by the fans and for good reason.

Now, the team will take on another tough opponent, perhaps their toughest foe yet, the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) on the road. They'll hope their good fortune carries on through the season, but especially against one of the best team's in the league.

With that said, let's get into your questions for the weekly Fan Friday mailbag, where I answer the questions you've submitted following the previous game and throughout the week about the team and their upcoming matchup.

Note: To submit questions, stay tuned to my Twitter page at @Demetrius82 or email me directly at dsharvey@gannett.com.

More Jaguars coverage: 

• Another test: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will face a savvy, sack-hungry Philadelphia front

• Aggressive by nature: Doug Pederson's 4th-down calls already paying dividends for Jaguars

• Frenette: Pedersons have fond memories of Philly, but Jacksonville now is their town

Alex from Seattle, Wa.

Question: Has (Jaguars running back Travis Etienne) been “disappointing” so far this season? I put it in quotations because he clearly shows flashes, but has the lack of big plays been due to timing/scheme/opportunity/etc.? The stats seem somewhat below average as well even when taking into account J-Rob’s resurgence

Demetrius: Hi Alex! Thanks for your question. I received a ton of questions about Etienne this week, and with good reason. The Jaguars have utilized both him and James Robinson in their running back rotation, but there's no question that Robinson has been more productive at this point.

I wouldn't say that Etienne has been overall disappointing. It's still incredibly early in the season and he was never afforded a rookie season after suffering a preseason injury last year. So far, Etienne has rushed for 112 yards on 26 carries (4.3 yards per carry), but much of that production came in Week 1 (four carries for 47 yards).

Still, he's had a few opportunities in the pass game, hauling in eight passes for 81 yards. I think it's only a matter of time before Etienne breaks one off for big yardage. There have been quite a number of attempts where it seems as though if he breaks one more tackle he will be off to the races. Patience.

Arjun from Sarasota, Fla. 

Q: Score prediction?

D: Hopefully my score prediction here will align with the one I put out with the rest of my colleagues. But, as of Wednesday night, I have a feeling the Jaguars steal this one. It's too big of a game for Doug Pederson not to win. I think they'll win 24-20.

Ben from Mandarin 

Q: Why have opposing offensive coordinators not tried throwing it deep more against our defense? Based on what we have seen, this is where we seem the most vulnerable. Do you expect this to be exposed against the Eagles?

D: There are a couple of issues with throwing deep. No. 1, a team has to have time to throw. The Jaguars have been one of the top teams at harassing the quarterback, earning the No. 12 ranking in the pass-rush department, according to Pro Football Focus.

That means a team doesn't necessarily have time to sit back and throw deep against Jacksonville. The Jaguars also have a couple of nice players in their secondary, particularly Tyson Campbell who, though he allowed a couple of touchdowns this season, has played lights out otherwise.

As seen in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, the Jaguars can get beat deep, and it will likely happen again, but it really takes a bit more than just chucking the ball up to get it to work.

Anonymous from Las Vegas

Q: What does a win in Philly mean for the Jags moving forward? Is it a legitimate test and should it indicate what to expect going forward?

D: A win for the Jaguar this weekend would mean a ton about the team moving forward. While last week was an adequate test against a good opponent, they were missing quite a few productive players and Justin Herbert was banged up with a rib injury.

By all accounts, the Eagles remain relatively healthy or will be once they kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday. They're arguably the No. 1 team in the NFC and have played like one of the best team's in the NFL, period.

A win Sunday would mean everything for Jacksonville and give plenty of, understandable, hope for a successful first year under Pederson.

Jason from New York 

Q: Seems almost inappropriate to ask, but given the beatdown of the Colts and Chargers and ahead of what should be a tough matchup in Philly, where do you see the biggest need for improvement?

D: Hi Jason! It's not an inappropriate question at all. The Jaguars are not a perfect team. Though they've played well over the past two weeks, they'd let you know that there's always room for improvements.

The Jaguars have struggled to punch it into the end zone from the red zone. Though they've made up for it, that'll catch up to the team eventually. There's a reason why the Jaguars didn't put the game away on Sunday faster, up just 13-0 when they could have been up 21-0 early.

Red zone efficiency will be an area to watch moving forward.

Joshua Thompson from Kansas City, MO. 

Q: Let's say hypothetically we are looking at 4-2 and still first in the AFC South in a few weeks. Is there anyone or any position we could target before the trade deadline to improve?

D: This question was asked a couple of times by readers, and it's legitimately, though perhaps too early to tell. The Jaguars have been fairly injury-free over the past couple of weeks, a credit to the players Pederson continues to say, so it's tough to pinpoint exactly where they're deficient.

I believe the Jaguars would have liked to get a veteran cornerback in the room, but that doesn't mean anything against Shaq Griffin, Darious Williams or Tyson Campbell. Simply, the team doesn't have much depth there.

Other than that, it's hard to foresee any notable talent coming free as that is typically a late-season occurrence. Let's circle back to this question in a few weeks.

Eric from Omaha, Neb.

Q: Is this a game that is “too good to be true” as far as expecting a Jags win?

D: Hi Eric, thanks for the question! I don't think this is a "too good to be true" game as far as expecting the Jaguars to win. The past two weeks have increased fans' and observers' expectations and with good reason. The Jaguars are not fluking into victories, they're winning handily.

Though the Eagles are perhaps their toughest opponent yet, it doesn't mean that they are impossible to defeat.

The Jaguars opened as touchdown underdogs, but that is more a credit to Philly and the fact they're playing at Lincoln Financial Field than discrediting Jacksonville. Expecting a win might be a bit far, but not expecting a loss right off the bet, isn't.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars fan mailbag ahead of Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles