Big Cat Country
As we’ve seen firsthand over the past 10 days, the NFL is a week-to-week league.
The Jaguars experienced the lowest of lows in Week 10 when Davis Mills and the rival Texans scored 26 fourth quarter points to complete a historic comeback. Then the script was flipped on Sunday when Jacksonville won by 29 points in a game where Josh Hines-Allen became the franchise sack leader.
“Ultimately, we now owe it to each other to play that way for the rest of the year as much as possible,” head coach Liam Coen said after the Week 11 drubbing. “That’s got to be our mindset as a team, is like, we owe it to each other now, to put that on tape as much as possible for the remainder of the season and let the results be what they may.”
As Week 12 approaches, we rounded up the latest NFL power rankings to get a sense of how the Jaguars are viewed nationally.
Will their latest signature win have staying power?
The only thing Jacksonville’s been able to bank on this season is its run game, and sure enough, that’s what led the way in Sunday’s dominant win over the Chargers. Travis Etienne Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten (lightning … and more lightning) combined to rush for 147 yards and three scores. When that duo is playing well, you can see how the Jaguars might be a team that could win a playoff game.
I don’t have the same optimism about much else. There’s no telling if the passing game or defense will support the run game each week, and that makes it hard to trust the Jags. I’ll just watch from a safe distance.
Coach Liam Coen deserves a lot of credit for leading his team to a blowout of the Chargers after the devastating loss to the Texans. This team would be in the playoffs if they started right now.
As he muddles threw his worst passing season since he was a rookie, it’s interesting to note the Jags are using QB Trevor Lawrence as a runner − nearly five rushes per game − more than at any point in his five-year career. Maybe he and DE Josh Hines-Allen can really catch fire while facing three sub-.500 opponents over the next four weeks.
From Josh Kendall and Chad Graff:
A suggestion: Feed Bhayshul Tuten
The rookie had a career-high 15 carries Sunday and turned them into a career-best 74 yards. He suffered an ankle injury that’s worth monitoring because he gave the Jaguars run game some pop, powering what turned into a season-high 35 points for Jacksonville.
Two weeks ago, they needed...
