Honestly, from a fan’s perspective, what is there to say about these two teams. The New York Jets have been one of the most unluckiest organizations in sports – and this year is no different. On the other hand, a Jacksonville Jaguars team that had high hopes this year has spiraled and will miss the playoffs. In this matchup between two mediocre teams, will the Jets come out on top and lower their draft selection? Or, will they continue to lose in ways that only the Jets can.
New York Jets vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Game History
The Jets and the Jaguars have played each other 17 times in NFL history. Currently, Jacksonville holds a slim lead over New York in the overall series, with a 9-8 record over the Jets. This will be the first time the two teams have played since December of 2022, where the Jaguars beat the Jets quite easily to the score of 19-3.
The Jets are expected to have cornerback Ahmad Gardner return for this matchup. However, the Jaguars will be without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who suffered a concussion against the Houston Texans a couple of weeks ago.
Key Players for the Jets
For the Jets, this is an interesting matchup. You could argue that every player on the field is important. On the offensive side of the ball, it probably has to be Aaron Rodgers, though that’s by default than anything else.
Rodgers has been inconsistent as a player this season. Last week against Miami, we saw him look like vintage Rodgers – at some points. And at other times, he looked like a middling quarterback rather than a future Hall of Fame player. Unfortunately, the latter version of Rodgers has been the one that’s popped up more often than not this season to the detriment of the Jets. Against a poor Jaguars defense, Rodgers needs to look vintage if the Jets want a chance to win.
On defense, the biggest factor for the Jets will be linebacker Jamien Sherwood. With C.J. Mosley out for the year, Sherwood becomes the X-Factor on the Jets defense.
The Jets linebacker is one I was critical of this offseason, who has stepped up in a major way this year for the New York defense. He’s vastly improved as a coverage linebacker, while still being a thumper in run defense. I would go as far as to say that Sherwood is the most-improved player on this Jets’ roster at the moment.
If he can get the Jets in the right position, while stunting the rushing attack and helping in coverage, the Jets should make easy work of a Jaguars defense being led by their second-string quarterback.
Key Players for the Jaguars
With Mac Jones handling the offense, a key player for the Jaguars will be Tank Bigsby. Bigsby has all-but effectively supplanted Travis Etienne as the starting running back for the Jaguars. The second-year back runs hard, and is underrated in the passing attack, too. If he can get going and the Jets go back to their poor run-stopping ways, it will be a long day for New York.
The key players for the Jaguars in this matchup will be their secondary. The coverage has been underwhelming this season, and they have a hard time securing tackles. However, if they are able to stop the passing attack of the Jets, not only will they force New York to be one-dimensional, they could end up getting takeaways, too.
Pressure will be important in this matchup too. However, stopping the passing attack on the back-end may arguably be more important if the Jaguars want to have success in this matchup.
Keys to Victory for New York
The keys for the Jets to win this game is simple – literally. If they don’t get fancy, stick to their gap assignments, and play good coverage, the defense should have little issue stopping the Jaguars offense. Mac Jones significantly lowers the ceiling of Jacksonville’s offense. That should give an easy advantage to the Jets.
On offense, it’s more of the same. The team needs to take what the defense gives them. The Jaguars have been susceptible to some terrible play this season on defense. Unfortunately, so have the Jets on offense. If they keep things simple, and utilize the run to set up the pass, there’s a chance that New York can come out on top.
With that said, it’s easier said than done. The Jets have performed well at times only to completely faceplant in the second-half of games. They have to be able to play four quarters of good football, even against another bad team.
