Jacksonville Jaguars: Letting up not an option vs. Browns
By Larry Brake
The Jacksonville Jaguars must stay focused and not overlook the winless Cleveland Browns in their Week 11 matchup on Sunday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to continue their winning streak in Week 11. However, Jacksonville should not overlook the winless Cleveland Browns and think they can sleepwalk to another victory. The Jaguars had better stay focused in their run towards the playoffs.
Blake Bortles played well against Los Angeles last week, for the most part. Once again, he made poor decisions in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. By throwing those two interceptions, he took two steps back after taking three steps forward. Hopefully he took the whole defense out to dinner for saving the game.
The Jaguars play their next two games on the road after a successful home stand. Jacksonville has the opportunity to make a huge statement on this season. By winning both games, extending their winning streak to five, Jacksonville proves that they belong in the playoff discussions.
It seems like Doug Marrone would not allow his team to look past Cleveland. Marrone has done a great job of keeping things in perspective. When asked how the current Jaguars defense compared to the 1985 Chicago Bears defense, Marrone, according to Edward Lewis of NFL.com, said:
"“We still got a long way to go but I’m happy with the direction that we’re going…. ‘Stop, hold on. Stop right there.'”"
The Jaguars must keep constant pressure on the Brown’s quarterback. Cleveland has given up 27 quarterback sacks through nine games. Calais Campbell should get to the quarterback early and often since the Browns lost Joe Thomas to injury. There should be no real reason why Jacksonville couldn’t record 10 sacks in a game for the third time this season.
Jalen Ramsey and the secondary will be able to blanket cover the Cleveland receivers. The Jaguars linebackers must keep both Cleveland running backs, Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, in check. Los Angeles got two touchdowns by throwing to a running back. Let’s hope that the defense can create havoc and turnovers by the young Browns offense.
Next: NFL Week 11: 5 Players who need to step up
Perhaps most importantly, Jacksonville must impose their strong rushing attack on Cleveland. The Browns defense has given up an average of 86.4 rushing yards per game while Jacksonville is averaging 163 yards per game on the ground. Again, expect Cleveland to play an eight-man front and try to make Bortles throw passes, like every team has. This builds confidence and character, when your opponent knows what your game plan is, but can not stop you.
In a special season for the Jaguars, the expectations are growing and results are impressive. Jacksonville should land in Cleveland going full throttle and not let up until victory has been claimed.