JACKSONVILLE, Fla.: Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson insists that is the place he envisioned his crew being at its bye week: atop the AFC South and with top-of-the-line data within the NFL.
How the Jaguars bought thus far? Well, that’s stunned everybody, together with Pederson.
The Jaguars (6-2) have grow to be a protection-first oddity in an offense-pleasant league. It’s helped Jacksonville win 5 consecutive video games and enhance to five-0 away from dwelling.
The newest was a 20-10 victory at Pittsburgh by which Jaguars security Dewey Wingard grabbed a “Terrible Towel” following a late interception and mockingly waved it on the sector to have a good time. The Jaguars lead the NFL with 18 takeaways, together with two within the fourth quarter on Sunday to forestall Pittsburgh from mounting any type of comeback.
Jacksonville is now 13-4 over its final 17 video games, tied with San Francisco for the second-greatest document within the league (behind Kansas City) over that span.
“It’s just confidence in our guys, confidence in the team,” Pederson stated Monday. “As a coach looking at our schedule and looking at the season and how things started out — it was a little rough — but to be here at 6-2, I expected that, the guys expected that.”
But with the offense main the best way, proper?
“You would think so with the weapons and the firepower,” he quipped.
Instead, protection has been Jacksonville’s calling card. The Jaguars have allowed 81 factors, 16.2 a sport, throughout their profitable streak. They’ve been stout in opposition to the run all season and arguably simply pretty much as good in opposition to the move because of 11 interceptions.
Steelers receiver George Pickens supplied further motivation by calling Jacksonville a “hope defense” main into the sport, saying the protection hoped its move rush might get to the quarterback in time to avoid wasting a shaky secondary.
“I don’t know how they thought we were going to come in and play, but we would have HOPED they would put up a better fight than that,” Jaguars security Rayshawn Jenkins chirped afterward.
Added Wingard: “If hoping is getting a ‘W,’ we’ll take the ‘W.’ … You don’t fire up a bunch of hungry dogs. It’s not smart. George, do better.”
WHAT’S WORKING
Jacksonville’s run protection has been among the many greatest within the league, and it might get higher with the return of defensive deal with DaVon Hamilton. The Jaguars are permitting 79.3 yards a sport on the bottom and three.6 yards a carry — each fourth within the NFL.
The Steelers completed with 70 yards dashing, however simply 32 of these got here from operating backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Hamilton, in the meantime, performed 14 snaps in his season debut. He missed the primary seven video games after being identified with a again an infection in August that required IV antibiotics.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
The Jaguars managed to beat failing to attain a landing in three journeys contained in the 20-yard line. Making their pink-zone woes worse, they turned the ball over twice close to the tip zone. Tight finish Evan Engram fumbled on the 19 and Trevor Lawrence threw an interception in the long run zone on a primary-and-objective play from the 6.
The final time Jacksonville went 0 for 3 within the pink zone was in a Week 2 loss to Kansas City.
“It’s not the recipe, obviously,” Pederson stated.
STOCK UP
Travis Etienne, who scored two dashing touchdowns in every of the three earlier weeks, made the sport’s largest play. Etienne’s 56-yard TD catch late within the third quarter gave Jacksonville a 14-level cushion.
He completed with 149 whole yards, the fifth time he’s eclipsed 100 this season. He has completed the feat thrice within the final 4 video games, proving to be a key cog in Jacksonville’s offense.
STOCK DOWN
Rookie operating again Tank Bigsby fumbled for the second time in 24 touches this season, one other turnover that might trigger the teaching employees to lose confidence within the third-spherical draft decide from Auburn.
Bigsby already was being restricted on passing downs due to considerations about his blocking capacity. He has 23 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns. He has one reception for six yards. He additionally tipped a move within the season opener that resulted in a landing.
INJURIES
With a restful bye week forward, the Jaguars count on to have CB Tyson Campbell (hamstring), S Andre Cisco (hamstring), WR Zay Jones (knee) and LG Walker Little (knee) again within the beginning lineup in opposition to San Francisco on Nov. 12.
KEY NUMBER
3 — Number of occasions Jacksonville has received at the very least six of its first eight video games in franchise historical past. The Jags began 6-2 in 1998 and 13-1 in 1999.
NEXT STEPS
The Jaguars have two weeks to get wholesome and prepared for San Francisco, which has misplaced three in a row for the primary time since October 2021.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
