After going 2-1 to start the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have lost four games in a row, underscoring the inconsistency in this squad. They currently sit in third place in the AFC South as they enter Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. This game will be played at Wembley Stadium in London, England, where a win can potentially put the Jaguars in a position to steal second place from the Indianapolis Colts. Here are our Jacksonville Jaguars Week 8 predictions as they take on the Broncos.
The Jaguars' season has been hampered by four consecutive losses. Their most recent setback was a 23-17 loss to the New York Giants, so it will be intriguing to see if Jacksonville can turn things around by playing overseas.
On the other end of the field, while some teams require a change of scenery to get back on track, the Broncos may require a whole nation to do it. After all, like Jacksonville, the Broncos have now dropped four consecutive games after a 16-9 defeat to the New York Jets.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Week 8 game against the Broncos.
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4. Travis Etienne Jr. goes for over 100 yards and another TD
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Jaguars RB Travis Etienne is set to take over as the Jaguars' starting running back after the team traded James Robinson (knee) to the Jets on Monday.
Against the Giants last Sunday, Etienne took over a significant share of the Jaguars' RB workload. He was involved in 57 of 71 offensive snaps. He also had 15 touches for 119 yards from scrimmage and one running touchdown against Robinson's 12 snaps and zero touches (one target). I guess that was a sign of things to come.
In addition, the Jets lost rookie running back Breece Hall for the season in Week 7 due to a ruptured ACL, paving the path for Monday's deal. With just JaMycal Hasty and Snoop Conner to compete with for repetitions, Etienne is suddenly Jacksonville's top RB and maybe the greatest skill-position player overall.
We have him getting a lion's share of the snaps again here, and don't be shocked if he records 100+ yards again along with his second touchdown of the season.
3. Christian Kirk has a tough outing
Christian Kirk, like QB Trevor Lawrence, is a sit this week due to the tough matchup with the Denver Broncos, who allow the fourth-lowest passing yards per game. Kirk had a productive game last week against the New York Giants, but he has also had numerous bad outings this season. This might be another one of those.
Kirk has a decent target share of 22.7 percent (27th) and improved red zone activity (nine red zone targets). He should be Trevor Lawrence's top target in this game, though that also means he will attract much of the Broncos' best secondary defenders.
We have Kirk recording under 60 yards in this game, though he will probably get one touchdown catch.
2. Trevor Lawrence will struggle in the pocket
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence will have a pretty difficult matchup. The Broncos are third in the NFL in pass defense DVOA. They have the lowest yards per attempt and passing touchdown rates. Lawrence might actually have better luck running the football himself. That's especially since he has three running touchdowns this season (second-most among quarterbacks).
We also expect Lawrence to be under siege throughout this game. Denver ranks third in terms of blitz rate and eighth in terms of pressure rate. Meanwhile, Lawrence ranks 30th in pressured PFF passing grade, 19th in yards per attempt, and 26th in QBR while being pressured. It could be disastrous in the pocket for Lawrence. Keep in mind, however, that the Broncos have only allowed three total touchdowns to quarterbacks this season. Two of those came in Week 1. This week, Lawrence is unlikely to have a huge game.
Having said that, the Jaguars do face a Broncos offense that has been a flop this season. As limited as Lawrence and his offense will be, the Jaguars will probably still be a bit better than what the Broncos will bring to the table.
1. Jaguars snap skid with a big win in London
Prior to this season, people would have laughed if you told them the Broncos would be underdogs against the Jaguars. However, that's the scenario we're in following Denver's disastrous start to the season. That has only gone worse now that quarterback Russell Wilson is out with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 7.
There just isn't much incentive to back the Broncos unless they demonstrate significant progress. Although their defense has been solid, their offense has been far from even average. The Broncos are putting up a league-low 14.3 points per game. They have also been limited to 16 or fewer points in all but one of their assignments this season.
It's also worth noting that the Jaguars are 4-4 in their last eight visits to London. The Jacksonville staff has greater expertise in how to help its players adjust to jet lag. We feel like Jacksonville will have an advantage in this area as well.
Unless the Broncos do a total 180 and buck the absence of Wilson, we expect the Jaguars to be on the hunt and win in London to snap their losing skid.
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