The Jacksonville Jaguars come to Lumen Field on Sunday for a showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. The Jags got the bye-week following their first win in 21 games, a 23-20 win over the Dolphins in London. They now look to score an elusive win in their home-country against a beleaguered Seattle team that fell to 2-5 with an upsetting 13-10 loss to the Saints on MNF. Who can get the job done this Sunday?
Real Ammo for the Jags’ Case This Week
A lot of things shake out that make this less of a tall task for the Jaguars. No Russell Wilson is a big part of that equation. It’s not just what Wilson brought to the team, but how he was able to make some of those Seattle shortcomings go away. Now with Geno Smith in there, that lousy offensive line only shines through more. The lack of a substantive run-game illuminates. And without much of a spark on offense, the liabilities on the other side of the ball come more into plain view. Smith doesn’t have the ability to get the ball in the hands of the main offensive talent they have—their top two wide receivers. And with things not even clicking that well when Wilson was in there, they’ve really sunk with him not in there.
This hasn’t exactly been an energizing first six games for the Jags amidst the losses and the distractions. But they got the bye week following a win. And for a team that has so much defeat in their recent memory, that’s a good thing. In comparison, you have a Seattle team coming off a rough MNF game on the short week, still mired in a muck of personnel issues. While Jacksonville has been resigned to this being a table-setting season with no real hopes for anything big, Seattle has landed in this spot with a thud. To go from a team fancying the playoffs to overturned on your back at 2-5 might just be a pill that’s harder for Seattle to swallow than the Jaguars.
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The Power of Being Intact
Obviously, there are only so many laudatory things one can say about a Jaguars team that just tasted victory over what was a pretty sideways Dolphins team for the first time in 20 games. And the notion that Pete Carroll and Company can maybe right the ship in a good home-spot isn’t entirely hard to buy into. But while the Jags are missing a key aerial piece with DJ Chark being gone, they are generally pretty intact from a personnel standpoint—as least in relation to a Seattle team missing the face of the team in Wilson, along with a dilapidated run-game and a battered offensive line, among other issues.
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So you have a Jacksonville team building toward something, with first overall pick Trevor Lawrence finding his way, bolstered by a difference-making back in James Robinson. And sure, there are numerous issues. The offense sometimes commits mistakes that make it, so they don’t get the most out of their production. The defense is basically unserviceable against the pass. And if you’re expecting the Jaguars’ defense to make a big play for the team cause, you will often be left disappointed. But with Seattle struggling to get the ball in the hands of their main weapons, maybe the Jags’ pass-defense can catch a few breaks in this spot. And for however bad the Jaguars’ defense has been in spots, Seattle’s has been even worse overall. Not that the Jacksonville aerial package is that great, but just having a major talent in Lawrence in there with Robinson would seem to give them at least a small edge over Smith trying to run the ball with different backs, none of whom are able to consistently take the lead.
