Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 Keys to defeating Jets on the road
By Larry Brake
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be in must-win-mode against the New York Jets on Sunday. Here are three keys for the Jaguars to win the game.
After a dominating victory over Baltimore, the Jacksonville Jaguars face the New York Jets on Sunday. Jacksonville can not afford to lose this game. There are three keys that will insure a Jaguars victory.
In 2015, the Jets defeated Jacksonville 28-25. Blake Bortles threw for 381 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns combined for 243 receiving yards. Marqise Lee must have Robinson-esque numbers on Sunday. T.J. Yeldon ran for 64 yards on just 14 carries. Jacksonville, as a team, ran the ball 19 times for only 98 yards. On Sunday, the Jaguars must establish the power run game.
Also in that 2015 matchup, the Jaguars offensive line gave up six sacks. Current Jets defensive lineman Muhammed Wilkerson recorded a sack that day. Last week, New York held Miami to 225 total net yards with three sacks and two interceptions.
As for the biggest keys, though, Calais Campbell and the defensive line has to pressure the quarterback. The Jaguars secondary will blanket the Jets receivers which should enable Campbell to get several sacks. Expect Jacksonville to blitz early and often, they must dominate the line of scrimmage.
Next, Cam Robinson has to protect Bortles’ blind side. Currently, the Jacksonville offensive line has only surrendered two sacks. The Jets will probably try to exploit the rookie tackle. Robinson will face Wilkerson and Leonard Williams, which will be tough.
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Third, Bortles needs to allow the game to come to him. He can not afford to make bad decisions. The best scenario is for the Jaguars to run the ball and let Bortles throw only when necessary. Seems like he is beginning to run more when flushed out of the pocket. Hopefully he has learned that throwing the ball out of bounds is a good play.