The Jacksonville Jaguars started slow again at home against the Green Bay Packers. They fell behind 10 points two separate times and were able to tie the game in the end. The defense let them down again allowing Jayden Reed to get loose to set up the game-winning field goal.
Trevor Lawrence played well in the second half but his two turnovers in the first half put the Jaguars in a bad situation. The Jaguars have lost four close games by a combined 15 points and do not have the killer instinct to close out games. They now have injuries on offense and need a miracle this week against the Philadelphia Eagles. This could be one last chance for Doug Pederson and the Jaguars’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles Game History
Sunday will be the eighth time the Jaguars and Eagles have met. The Eagles lead the series four to three over the Jaguars. The last meeting was in 2022 when the Eagles won 29-21 in a rainy game in Philadelphia. The Jaguars have lost four straight to the Eagles and have not had a win in the series since 2006.
Key Players for the Jaguars
The Jaguars almost had a comeback that could have turned their season around. Just like most of the season they have come close but cannot get over the hump.
Travis Etienne missed the game and Tank Bigsby was the lone running threat with 18 carries for 78 yards. There is hope that the Jaguars will have both back this week but both were limited in practice this week. The Jaguars will need the run game with their receiving corps limited.
Lawrence threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the close loss to the Packers. He spread the ball around to eight different receivers and four players had over 40 yards. The offense took some big hits against the Packers.
Christian Kirk was lost for the season and Brian Thomas Jr. left early with a chest injury. If Thomas plays he may be limited so Parker Washington will need to step up and Evan Engram will have to be even more involved. Since the receivers are banged up Brenton Strange and Engram may see the field together more than they had in the past. Walker Little will have his hands full and needs to keep Lawrence protected. No one on the Eagles defense has more than three sacks but six have at least two sacks.
The Jaguars’ defense was a disappointment again against the Packers. They could only get one sack against a hobble Jordan Love and backup Malik Willis. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker each had half a sack and that production has to be better. The secondary allows big plays so there needs to be pressure for the defense to have any success.
The defense allowed Josh Jacobs over 100 yards even with linebacker Foyesade Oluokun returning. Ventrell Miller continued his production with seven tackles and Devin Lloyd snaps got cut from 58 to 38. The secondary was the healthiest it has been against the Packers. Tyson Campbell, Darnell Savage, and Jarrian Jones will need to be on top of their game to contain the Eagles explosive passing attack.
Key Players for the Eagles
The Eagles have won three straight games since their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are starting to get healthier on offense. The good news for the Jaguars is that Dallas Goedert will be out this week because of their struggles against tight ends. The Eagles still have enough weapons to scare any defense.
Saquon Barkley has gone over 100 yards in the last two games and in three of the last five games. He also is lethal out of the backfield and the Jaguars struggle in covering running backs with their linebackers. Jalen Hurts has not thrown an interception in four weeks and has really been playing well as of late. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith both had over 80 yards last week and I do not think the Jaguars can contain both.
The Eagles will be without Darius Slay but rookies Cooper Dejean and Quinyon Mitchell have helped in shoring up their pass defense. Josh Sweat will have his chance against the Jaguars’ suspect tackles to increase his sacks numbers. Nakobe Dean and Jalen Carter will be key in stopping the run game and making the Jaguars one dimensional. CJ Gardner Johnson and Sydney Brown are key safeties on the backend and will look to take advantage of Lawrence’s mistakes.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Keys to Win the Game
The Jaguars defense has shown week in and week out that they cannot stop anyone. The offense is going to need to play a perfect game and the defense will need to be opportunistic with turnovers.
The Jaguars are going need to be able to run the ball this game and Trevor Lawrence cannot turn the ball over. If they give the Eagles a short field then the game will get out of hand early. The Eagles allow the fourth fewest yards a game to tight ends so Parker Washington needs to have a big game like he did against the Bengals last year.
The defense needs to keep the big plays at a minimum and make the Eagles play mistake free football and drive the length of the field. Third downs need to be kept to medium yards to gain because of their success of going for it on fourth down with the tush push. As I stated earlier a couple turnovers are needed to stay away from a shoot out and give the offense a shorter field.
Is there any fight left in the Jaguars? Can Doug Pederson pull out a win against his old team?
Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.