Big Cat Country
The Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to EverBank Stadium on Sunday. Here are three battles to keep your eye on:
There’s no easy way to say this; the Jaguars offense STUNK last week against the Houston Texans. Despite having a 19-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, much of Jacksonville’s scoreboard dominance came from early turnovers forced by the defense, opportunities that Trevor Lawrence & co largely couldn’t convert into touchdowns and the team had to settle for field goals. And when it mattered, the Jags couldn’t move the football
The run game, fairly consistent this season, was also underwhelming on Sunday. Travis Etienne will be determined to improve on a 58-yard performance that saw him post just 3.6 yards per carry. We know that this offense typically goes how their ground game goes – in order to unlock the under-fire Lawrence his lead running back will have to deliver.
The Texans have an elite defense, and so do the Jags’ next opponents. The Chargers are coming off the back of a strong Sunday Night Football performance where they held the Pittsburgh Steelers to just 234 yards of offense. That being said, Jaylen Warren showed you can run on this defensive front with 70 yards from just 14 carries. Trying to bottle up Etienne will be third-year linebacker Daiyan Henley, who leads the Chargers this season with 67 tackles. Henley’s season is all the more impressive considering the recent death of his brother. Etienne will need to have a big day for the Jaguars to win this game.
Since joining the team in free agency, Jourdan Lewis has been one of the standout performers on a spicy Jaguars defense. A neck injury sustained against the Las Vegas Raiders meant the nickel corner was absent for last week’s game against the Texans. In his absence Jarrian Jones stepped in and did well; the versatile defensive back making four tackles, two pass breakups and recording an interception on the first drive of the game. With Lewis’ outlook no clearer as of Wednesday, expect Jones to deputise in the slot once again.
Jones will have his hands full in Week 11. Ladd McConkey might only be in his second year, but he’s immediately become one of the most devastating slot receivers in the NFL. After racking up 1,149 yards as a rookie he’s continued to terrorize defenses this season – and posted his best stat line of 2025 last Sunday, turning four catches into 107 yards and a touchdown. Justin Herbert is an elite quarterback in his own right, but having a weapon like McConkey at his disposal makes his job a hell of a lot easier.
The Jags will be hoping that Jones can make a similar impact this weekend as they try to control this explosive Chargers passing game.
If there’s one weakness to this Chargers team, it’s the right side...
