Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 Keys to winning in Carolina

Here are three keys for the Jacksonville Jaguars to win on the road against the Carolina Panthers in their Week 5 matchup.

The Jacksonville Jaguars travel north to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Week 5. This will be toughest pass defense that Gardner Minshew will have faced this season. Carolina has the top ranked pass defense in the NFL. However, both teams share the same 2-2 record.

Leonard Fournette finally got on track last week in Denver. The Jaguars offensive line paved the way for Fournette to run for 225 yards. Carolina is currently the 24th ranked run defense. Jacksonville will have to establish the running game early to open up the aerial assault.

But in terms of the keys to winning for Jacksonville, the Jaguars first have to reduce the penalties. Jacksonville committed 12 penalties for 104 yards in Denver. In 2019, the Jaguars have committed 35 penalties for 275 yards, They must be a disciplined team on both sides of the ball.

Jacksonville will have to stop the ferocious Panthers pass rush without committing penalties. Mario Addison has 5.5 sacks to lead the Carolina defense. As a defense, the Panthers have 18 sacks through the first four games. Cam Robinson and the offensive line will have to win the battle in the trenches without all the holding calls.

Second, the Jaguars secondary will have to be more creative in disguising coverages. Tre Herndon was exploited by Denver in the absence of Jalen Ramsey. Perhaps Todd Walsh will put more pressure on young Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen, who’s filling in for an injured Cam Newton. He might show a 3-4 defense and let Josh Allen cover Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield.

The Panthers offense runs through McCaffrey. He leads Carolina in rushing and pass receptions. The Jaguars need to isolate him and lock down the other Panthers receivers,

Finally, John DeFilippo should spread the Panthers defense with creative formations. He has to get Leonard Fournette into open space by pass or run. Fournette ran tough and determined last Sunday.

Jacksonville is able to spread the field with their four wide receivers: Dede Westbrook, D.J. Chark, Chris Conley and Marqise Lee. If Josh Oliver is healthy, the receiving corps gets better. Fournette would thrive with less men inside the box. Currently, Fournette is the NFL’s third leading rusher with 404 yards. Hopefully, Fournette will put the Jaguars on his back and carry the team to victory.