Jaguars @ Eagles
JT: Josh Allen says he’s trying to get a Philly cheesesteak. If that means Jalen Hurts sandwiched between 41 and 44 then I say, enjoy Josh Allen, enjoy.
Without a doubt this will be the Jacksonville Jaguars biggest test of the season. Bigger than Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers and certainly bigger than Matty Ice and the Colts. This will be bigger not only because of the caliber of players but because of the emotional aspect of this game, Doug Pederson’s homecoming. If you think for a second that this game wasn’t circled on everyone’s calendar at the beginning of the year, then you should rethink what you weren’t thinking because you thought wrong. Doug Pederson will be the first to tell you this is just another game, but it’s not. The man has a statue in Philly; Pederson and Rocky Balboa. That means something. Before we break down this matchup I will say this, I believe that Jacksonville has the more complete team. I think that Jalen Hurts makes up more of Philly’s offense than Trevor Lawrence does for the Jags. Meaning, Jacksonville is better without Lawrence than the Eagles would be without Hurts. Lawrence is really really good, but the rest of Jacksonville’s offense can hold their own no matter who is under center. I don’t think the same can be said for the Eagles. Now, none of that nonsense I just spouted will matter, because both Lawrence and Hurts will be playing in Sunday’s game this week.
While we are talking about the signal callers it would only make sense to look at these offenses and compare them to the defenses they will be facing across the neutral zone. This matchup will be a very well balanced game. Strength will be going against strength. The Eagles offense against the Jaguars defense. There doesn’t appear to be much weakness on either side of the ball, for either team.
Eagles Offense: Jaguars Defense:
Jalen Hurts Devin Lloyd - shadow Hurts
Miles Sanders Josh Allen/Foye Oluokun
A.J. Brown Shaq Griffin/Campbell
DeVonta Smith Tyson Campbell/Griffin
Zach Pascal Andre Cisco/Darious Williams
Quez Watkins Rayshawn Jenkins/Tre Herndon
Dallas Goedert Travon Walker/Devin Lloyd
Jordan Mailata Fatukasi
Landon Dickerson Gotsis
Jason Kelce DaVon Hamilton - show him miserable
Isaac Seumalo Roy Robertson-Harris
Lane Johnson Dawuane Smoot/Arden Key
The Eagles offense is their strong suit while the Jaguars defense is theirs. Philadelphia has some big time offensive players. Their offensive line is adept at run and pass blocking. Center Jason Kelce is so confident in his ability that he’s not only comfortable frosting his hair like a backup dancer in a bad boy band, but he also has no qualms providing the Jags with bulletin board fodder. In an interview Kelce said it would be miserable to play for Jacksonville where nobody cares about the football team. JaguarsTalk has much more respect for the likes of Josh Allen who when asked about the Eagles, speaks about how good they are and how difficult a matchup they present. There is something to be said for maturity and focus.
Philadelphia not only has a solid O-line but their skill positions are stacked with good players. They have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, one of the best receiving duos in the NFL. I’d argue, however, that Jacksonville faced a better wide receiver group at Washington in Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and rookie Jahan Dotson. But that being said, Jacksonville’s DBs were torched by Washington’s WRs to the tune of a week one loss, so there’s that. Jacksonville, though, has familiarity with A.J. Brown, from his days in Tennessee and Zach Pascal from his time in Indy. That may give the Jags a small advantage. Tight End Dallas Goedert and running back Miles Sanders are both dangerous pass catchers as well, giving Hurts, the third year pro, plenty of route runners. Finally Hurts has the uncanny ability to extend plays with his legs. If the defense does not account for Jalen as a runner he will make them pay. For all of these reasons It’s easy to see why Jalen Hurts is currently third in the NFL in passing yards. So, how does Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell win this matchup?
If the Jaguars front seven can keep sustained pressure on Hurts, enough so that the Eagles WRs don’t have time to get open, then Jacksonville wins. Jacksonville, afterall, is tied for first in turnover differential through three games. The wildcard is Hurts’ running capability. Enter Devin Lloyd and his ability to shadow Hurts all game long. Lloyd has the speed to keep up with him and the smarts to keep him contained. Lloyd was just named defensive rookie of the month and Jalen Hurts is the NFC offensive player of the month, so this should be a very intriguing matchup to watch. Jalen Hurts has 916 passing yards, four TD passes, three rush TDs, and a 106.5 passer rating. He is very good and can turn nothing into something, disaster into gain. This is why he’s so dangerous. If the Jags D plays smart ball and stays in their respective lanes, sticking to their assignments, then they’ll give Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense a chance to win the game. That is, afterall, the formula for a successful Jacksonville season. Let the defense do the heavy lifting giving the offense a chance for success.
In weeks two and three the Jaguars offense has been returning the favor playing the most complimentary football in the entire NFL this season. The Jags offense has complimented their defensive play by staying on the field, converting on third and fourth downs, keeping drives alive, eating clock and putting points on the board. A rested defense = a winning record. The Jacksonville defense is responsible for directly stopping Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense, but it’s the Jaguars offense that can stop Hurts most effectively by keeping him off the field. Doug Pederson’s play calling and the Jags offensive execution will do more to stop Jalen Hurts than anything else in this game.
Jacksonville’s offense has been making quite the name for themselves thus far.
Jags Offense: Eagles Defense:
Trevor Lawrence LBs
James Robinson Haasan Reddick/White/Edwards
Travis Etienne Reddick/White/Edwards
Christian Kirk Darius Slay
Zay Jones James Bradberry
Marvin Jones Jr. C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Tim Jones Marcus Epps
Jamal Agnew Wallace/Blankenship
Evan Engram Kyzir White
Cam Robinson Josh Sweat/Graham
Ben Bartch Javon Hargrave
Luke Fortner T.J. Edwards
Brandon Scherff Fletcher Cox
Jawaan Taylor Brandon Graham/Reddick
The Jacksonville offensive scheme should remain similar to what was played last week against the LA Chargers and the week before against the Colts. Protecting Trevor Lawrence is the name of the game this week. Jawaan Taylor and Cam Robinson need to continue their dominance. Scherff, Fortner and Bartch need to keep doing what they have been doing against a Philly defensive front that is better than that of the Colts and Chargers. Lawrence said that his trust in his offensive line is beyond compare, well the O-line will face its biggest challenge this week in Philadelphia. Lawrence can help his linemen by continuing to have superior pocket presence.
Trevor Lawrence is second in the NFL in terms of getting the ball out of his hands quickly. In the past two games Lawrence is second only to Tom Brady. The ball leaves Trevor’s hands in approx 2.5 seconds. That needs to continue against the Eagles. This means receivers need to get open quickly. Christian Kirk needs to continue the play he has displayed the past three weeks (3 games, 18 catches, 267 yards, 3 TDs). With Zay Jones having a career game against the Chargers and now being a bit banged up for the Eagles game, career practice squad player Tim Jones will have to step up as he did in the pre-season. Return man Jamal Agnew will have to step up as well. I don’t think that the Jaguars receiving corps will lose a step if, in fact, Zay Jones can’t go. That is not to say that Zay Jones isn’t a better starter than the back-ups. It’s more about the fact that the Jaguars entire team is filled with all above average players rather than a few great players and many decent players. Losing a starter for the Jags will not hurt them as much as losing a starter would for another team (minus Trevor Lawrence).
Jacksonville’s offense needs to get out to a good start. They need long drives that put points on the board, much like the game against the Chargers. It is going to be very loud in Philly, with the return of Doug Pederson, and the Jags need to be the disciplined team they’ve been in weeks two and three and not the penalty ridden team that lost to Washington. Philadelphia is a great first half offensive team while the Jags have been a better third quarter team. Both teams have outscored opponents by about a million points in the past two weeks. This game will come down to, are you better than the player directly across from you? Josh Allen summed up this game in three words, “gritty, streets, tough.” It’s going to be a brawl. Vegas puts the odds in favor of the Eagles with a 6.5 point spread. JaguarsTalk, in June, thought this game would go the Jags way. Maurice Jones-Drew was the only prognosticator to call the Jaguars win last week (along with JaguarsTalk) and MJD (along with JaguarsTalk) is again the only one to call a Jacksonville win over Philadelphia. We agree with MJD. JaguarsTalk calls it 23-17 in favor of the First Coast. Duuuval. In the words of mic’d up Jaguars edge rusher, Josh Allen, “Yes Sir!”