The Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints are coming off of two very different Week 6 performances. Now they have to quickly get ready for Week 7 as they will play each other on Thursday Night Football. The Jaguars look to stay hot, while the Saints are desperate for a bounce-back game and some semblance of consistency in what has been a weird, up-and-down season so far. Here is everything that you need to know on how to watch the game.
When and where is the game?
In a short week, the Jaguars will travel to the Saints home stadium, Caesars Superdome, in New Orleans, Lousiana. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET on Oct. 19.
How to watch Jaguars vs. Saints
As is the case with every Thursday Night Football game going forward, the Jaguars-Saints game will be on Prime Video rather than normal television. Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung will be the team on-air.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 19 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Caesars Superdome — New Orleans, La.
TV channel: N/A | Live stream: Prime Video
Odds: Saints -3 | O/U 39
Jaguars storylines
The 4-2 Jaguars have been running on all cylinders as of recent. They have scored 23 plus points en route to a win in each of their last three games, with two of those coming in blowout fashion.
Trevor Lawrence leads the offense that is dynamic in both the air and on the ground. Lawrence has 1,439 passing yards. His running back, Travis Etienne, has 451 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Calvin Ridley, Evan Engram, and Christian Kirk make a formidable pass-catching trio, with all three being over 300 receiving yards for the season. The offense is young and explosive, but the defense has been the true difference-maker in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars lead the league in turnovers forced with 15, and they can get them in a variety of ways. The defensive front is loaded with talent, and they rush after the quarterback and force them into decisions that they don't want to make. These rushed throws have led to eight interceptions. Andre Cisco and Darious Williams each have three interceptions. Williams has also forced two fumbles. The Jaguars defense is aggressive and full of playmakers, and they are always looking to make the big play. Their knack for creating turnovers has afforded the offense plenty of extra opportunities to thrive.
While things have been pretty good for most of the season, the Jaguars did had one major scare. Trevor Lawrence was injured after a sack last game, and it caused the signal-caller to limp at the end of the fourth quarter. The quarterback remains day-to-day, and he hopes to play on Thursday, but it is not a guarantee that the former first-overall pick will be able to go. C.J. Beathard is the team's backup quarterback.
Saints storylines
The Saints followed up a blowout 26-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a dominant 34-0 win over the New England Patriots, and last week, they disappointed in a 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans. The loss to the Buccaneers was at home, while the victory over the Patriots was on the road, so there is no telling if home-field advantage will truly give the team an edge in Week 7. Regardless, the Saints will be desperate for a win as the AFC is wide open, with three of the teams – including the Saints – having three wins.
The Derek Carr experience has obviously had its ups and downs. Last week, he put up decent numbers. His 353 passing yards were the best mark of the season for the first-year Saint, but it took 50 passing attempts to do it. Passing for that many yards won't be easy against the Jaguars. Firstly, the Saints' offensive line has been ravaged by injuries. Star tackle Ryan Ramczyk has a concussion, and swing tackle Landon Young has a hip injury. Neither practiced on Monday. Andrus Peat is also dealing with a groin injury. During a short week, the team may have to stitch together a makeshift offensive line, and it won't make things easier on the quarterback. On top of that, the Jaguars have one of the best defenses in football.
These facts might make the Saints lean heavily on Alvin Kamara, especially considering Carr threw 50 passes last week fresh off of an injury. Kamara is a weapon with the ball in his hands, and he had his most yards from scrimmage this season last game. Kamara missed the first three games because of suspension, but he definitely has his legs under him now.
While Carr and Kamara put up decent numbers last week, it didn't lead to much scoring. Kamara even got into what appeared to be a (one-sided) argument with Jameis Winston, although Kamara came out and said nothing was weird and the two were only talking business.
If the Saints want a chance to beat the Jaguars, they will need to be better on Jacksonville's side of the football. In Week 6, the Saints struggled when in or close to the red zone. They got within the 30-yard line on each of their last four drives, but those drives only resulted in three total points. Blake Grupe also contributed to this, as the kicker was only 2-4 on field goal attempts. The Saints have the makings to be a good football team. They also play in a weak division, so the playoffs won't be hard to get to, but they will need to start putting complete performances together rather than just showing flashes of good football.
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