Big Cat Country
The Jacksonville Jaguars head to Sin City on Sunday to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Here are three key battles to keep an eye on:
As far as tests go, it might not get any tougher for Anton Harrison than what he’s going up against on Sunday. The Raiders’ defensive front isn’t one that strikes fear into opponents on paper. And yet despite a less than stellar supporting cast, edge rusher Maxx Crosby continues to be one of the most ferocious edge rushers in the NFL.
There’s a reason why Crosby’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors, particularly with the Dallas Cowboys; it’s because he’s incredibly consistent at pressuring the quarterback. Already with four sacks and an interception this year, it says a lot that Crosby was mentioned as a ‘bounceback candidate’ in 2025 despite registering 7.5 sacks and 45 tackles in just 12 games last year. Most defensive ends would kill for that sort of production, but for Crosby it was his worst output of his pro career.
Harrison has had his best season in a Jaguars uniform since he was drafted in 2023. The Jags’ o-line ranks in the top ten in the NFL, and Harrison is the standout member of the five. He’ll have his work cut out this weekend, but if he manages to keep Crosby quiet then the odds of a Jacksonville victory go up exponentially.
The Jaguars’ ground game exploded out of the gate in 2025. Led by Travis Etienne, the running back room helped the team jump out to a 4-1 record, averaging over 137 yards per game themselves and allowing the passing game to flourish at the same time. The confidence in this position group meant that James Gladstone was content to let Tank Bigsby go to the Philadelphia Eagles after Week 1, meaning an immediate promotion to RB2 for rookie ball carrier Bhayshul Tuten.
Tuten has shown a lot of promise spelling the aforementioned Etienne. But the ground game has gone off the boil somewhat the last two contests, falling back to an average of under 77 yards. Hopefully the bye week will have allowed the group to rest up, shake off any aches or injuries, and get back to the levels they showed through the first five weeks. In that regard, I expect to see Tuten earn more of the ball and hopefully continue to grow and produce as he finds his feet at the pro level.
Devin White put the league in notice after being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019. The Super Bowl winner was named an All Pro in 2020 and made the Pro Bowl a year later, but subsequently lost his form after requesting to be traded following an impasse in contract talks. He signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in free agency and never played a game for them, being released in October. He then headed to the...
