Jaguars vs Jets: Three matchups to watch

NFL News

Products You May Like

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.

Garrett Wilson vs Tyson Campbell

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.

Travis Etienne vs Jamien Sherwood

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 season.

Jamien Sherwood has developed into one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL. His 18 tackles and 8 defensive stops in Week 14 were both league leading – and the run stuffer has a jaw-dropping 125 tackles on the year. The Jags need a run game in this one, but it’s definitely not going to be easy.

Press Taylor vs Nathaniel Hackett

The most offensive of all offensive coordinators do battle this weekend in Duval County. I can’t think of many fanbases that have as much disdain for their OC’s as these two teams do currently, but in Sunday’s ‘race to the bottom’, who can be the most offensive of all?

Press Taylor has come under fire for the past two seasons in Jacksonville, ever since he assumed playcalling duties from head coach Doug Pederson. The general consensus is that Taylor is out of his depth with this responsibility, struggling to coordinate a gameplan with any fluidity. As mentioned earlier, the inability to cultivate a consistent run game sits at the top of his list of crimes, which has in turn meant the Jaguars have failed to see the best of Trevor Lawrence. In fact, Mac Jones’ struggles under center has led many to believe that Lawrence wa perhaps masking even more holes in Taylor’s coordinating abilities than first believed. Bottom line; The Jags OC is not on anyone’s Christmas Card list this year.

Nathaniel Hackett’s transgressions might be even worse. Hired by the Jets because of his previous success with Aaron Rodgers, Hackett has been gifted an unreasonable amount of talent in the Jets’ pursuit of a coherent offense. Despite such little output from such bountiful resources, Hackett has continued to be backed by a front office perhaps scared of upsetting their touchy quarterback – and even added Davante Adams as little as two months ago to further bolster the weapons at his disposal. If Taylor’s problem is a lack of capability, then perhaps Hackett’s is gross misconduct – flagrantly wasting Woody Johnson’s investment and somehow pinning all the blame on former boss Robert Saleh.

With the season end in sight, I don’t envision healthy job security for either of these offensive coordinators once the coaching carousel begins – regardless of the result on Sunday.

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Pewter Report Podcast: Bucs Go Down Swinging: Tampa Bay’s Season Ends
Sunday Patriots Notes: Eliot Wolf’s presence looms with head coach decision nearing
Lawmakers to address college sports NIL ‘crisis’
Gordon returns for Nuggets after right calf strain
Appeals court restores ex-NC St. athlete’s lawsuit

Leave a Reply