On the heels of a sluggish performance against the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars now look ahead to a Week 16 clash with the New York Jets.
In their first game under interim head coach Darrell Bevell, the Jaguars once again found a difficult time in winning the line of scrimmage battles on both sides of the ball. The Texans recorded four quarterback hits and three sacks, while the Jaguars defense wound up getting to quarterback Davis Mills a mere one time over the course of the contest.
For more insight on the Jaguars' Week 16 matchup against the Jets, listen below:
The Jaguars are set to take on a Jets team that may already have an eye on the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jets failed to build on momentum from their road win over the Texans in Week 12, as they have dropped their last three games. More so, they are just coming off of a showing against the Miami Dolphins where they blew a double-digit lead.
In the big picture, a loss could be beneficial for either team. If the season were to end today, the Jaguars would hold the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, while the Jets would have their own No. 4 pick and also the No. 8 pick from the Seattle Seahawks courtesy of the notable Jamal Adams trade.
Nonetheless, a win for the Jaguars this week could be a confidence-booster for them at this point in the campaign, and they must achieve each of these four feats to do just that.
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Jaguars Week 16 Predictions
4. James Robinson posts the second 100-plus rushing yard game of his season
Jaguars running back James Robinson has had quite a roller-coaster campaign this year. The second-year versatile back has notched formidable showings over the season, although he has also seen his snap count vary by the week.
Robinson was a focal point of the Jaguars' game planning on offense in their loss to the Texans last week; he played in 84 percent of snaps, recorded 88 yards from scrimmage and scored one rushing touchdown. In the Jaguars' upcoming clash with the Jets, quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer, who has been handed the offensive play-calling duties by Bevell, should heavily feature Robinson in the contest.
The former Illinois State running back sure has what it takes to amount to 100-plus rushing yards against the Jets — especially as they rank 30th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game with a 141.9 average.
3. Josh Allen snaps his sack drought
Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen was all over the place in his team’s upset home win against the Buffalo Bills earlier this season, as he recorded a sack and notched an interception off of quarterback Josh Allen.
However, Allen has not logged a single sack since his standout performance against the Bills. In Jacksonville’s loss to the Texans last week, he featured in 69 percent of snaps on defense as he came into the game nursing a shoulder injury.
Allen is still dealing with this nagging shoulder issue, which saw him be a limited participant in the Jaguars’ scheduled practice session on Wednesday. Still, Allen should be ready to go for the upcoming clash with the Jets, where he may pick up a sack for the first time in over a month.
2. Jaguars find success in 12 personnel
The Jaguars have called on 12 personnel a fair share of times over the year, which is a grouping that features two wide receivers, two tight ends and one running back. They have opted to call for this personnel on a notable 22 percent of their snaps in the season.
Last week, the Jaguars elected to go with 12 personnel on 15 percent of their snaps. Overall, they had a difficult time moving the ball downfield on such plays due to their lowly 20 percent successful play rate.
The script should flip for the Jaguars in 12 personnel this week. Whether it will be calling upon tight end James O’Shaughnessy down the middle or connecting with wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, quarterback Trevor Lawrence sure must look to pick up pivotal first downs in this personnel grouping if he aims to lead Jacksonville to a win.
1. Jaguars snap their six-game losing streak
The Jaguars are set to take on the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts in their final two games of the season. Thus, their best bet to at the least finish the year with three wins would be to notch a road victory over the Jets this week — and they should accomplish this feat.
Lawrence should lead the way in what could be an overall potent performance by the Jaguars.
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