Big Cat Country
Welcome to Big Cat Country’s staff roundtable!
Today, we’re previewing Week 11’s matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Chargers at EverBank Stadium.
Question 1: Jacksonville blew the biggest lead in franchise history (19 points) in last week’s loss to Houston. How did that game affect your rest-of-season expectations?
Dillon Appleman: Early in the season, the struggles felt improvable with penalties and general miscues being the main complaint. However, as the season has progressed, we have seen more flaws from a personnel perspective that aren’t really fixable in-season. Sunday’s disastrous collapse just cemented the thought that this roster is just too flawed.
Travis Holmes: The Houston game honestly did nothing to move my season projection for the team, as I initially had them winning nine to 10 games with any injury luck. They’ve been excruciatingly unfortunate in that area over the past four weeks, moving me closer to that nine-win range – just missing the playoffs. I still see four wins remaining on this schedule, though none are guaranteed. If that’s the outcome that materializes, fans may not have appreciated the journey to get there. It would show clear progress while also raising questions regarding the future of this rebuild.
Gus Logue: I previously expected Jacksonville to make the postseason, whether as a divisional winner or a Wild Card team, but now I’m not so sure. The offense may be ‘good enough’ once Brenton Strange returns but the defense doesn’t look capable of stopping anyone. Jacksonville might have the league’s worst depth at DE, DT, and Safety. As Dillon alluded to, the Jaguars just don’t have the horses, and the young coaching staff could use more experience. I think the team will barely miss the playoffs.
Henry Zimmer: Sunday’s loss showed me that this team really isn’t good enough to compete with the top-level teams. The Jags continue to lose against backup quarterbacks and teams that they should easily beat. If you can’t be the bad teams, why would anyone think you can consistently beat the good ones?
Question 2: What’s a matchup you’re looking forward to watching?
Dillon: Justin Herbert vs. Devin Lloyd. Herbert has already more than doubled his interception total (8) from a season ago (3) and there are still seven games left in his season. A handful of those have been when he’s targeting shallow routes in the middle of the field, where Devin Lloyd has made QBs pay all season long. His play recognition in that area could be key for a defense that desperately needs a spark after an abysmal performance a week ago.
Travis: Weirdly, the matchup I’m most looking forward to on Sunday isn’t between the Jaguars versus an opponent. It’s between Justin Herbert and his natural tendency to extend plays. Herbert LOVES to hold onto the ball, looking to create an explosive play in the passing game. But missing left tackle Joe Alt last week, he was sacked 5 times against Pittsburgh despite a career low 2.21-second time to...
