Big Cat Country
A trio of battles to keep an eye out for on Sunday
The Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the New York Jets to EverBank Stadium on Sunday. With both team’s seasons officially over, here are three matchups to watch out for.
It’s fair to ask if either team really wants to win this game, such is the culture of ‘tanking’ and the benefits you get from higher draft picks the following April. But if the Jaguars do want to be competitive against the Jets on Sunday, their first order of business is to shut down Aaron Rodgers and the passing game.
On paper, this looks like an appalling matchup for a Jags secondary that has struggled all season. One of the greatest quarterbacks ever to put on a set of pads, with two elite outside receivers, would have you running for the hills. And yet, it hasn’t panned out that way for Gang Green. The midseason addition of Davante Adams seems to have freed Garrett Wilson somewhat, with the dynamic receiver having one of his best outings of the year last week against the Miami Dolphins. Seven catches for 114 yards tells you the threat he poses when this offense finds it’s groove.
I don’t think the Jaguars corners will follow receivers around the field. So Tyson Campbell, Buster Brown and to some extent Jarrian Jones (Adams sees significant snaps from the slot) will all enjoy testing themselves against the trio of Adams, Wilson and Alan Lazard. But the most spicy matchup is likely to be when Campbell faces Wilson, who doesn’t enjoy sticky coverage and has a tendency to lose his cool on occasion. Campbell, who has missed significant time this season, will go into this one intending to disrupt and irritate the Jets’ most dangerous weapon.
Three wins in 13 games tells its own tale of the Jaguars season - not any position on this roster has fared particularly well. But a major source of disappointment has been Jacksonville’s inability to establish a run game. Even in an insipid 10-6 win against the Tennessee Titans last weekend, Travis Etienne had just 20 yards on the ground. True - four carries sounds more like a Press Taylor problem than an Etienne one (more on that later), but if they want to control the clock against the Jets, they will need to run between the tackles effectively.
Etienne has had just 99 carries all season. That’s an average of nine touches in each of the 11 games he’s suited up for in 2024. The ascendance of Tank Bigsby has played its part, but is it any wonder that Trevor Lawrence has spent a chunk of the year injured? It’s hard for a defense to respect a run game when there’s not one there to respect. This Jets defense is no joke - if the Jags want to win on Sunday, they cannot be as one-dimensional as they have been this...
