Jacksonville is buzzing after the Week 8 win against the visiting NY Jets 52-17 and they have reason to celebrate. The defense is rounding into its better self and things look to be settling in. The trade deadline did move some pieces from the Jags defense in DT Taven Bryan and CB Josiah Scott to the Saints but the depth of this team is on defense and 3rd year DT Quincy Blake looks to fill the void left by Bryan. On offense, there was a boost added in the trade from WR Deonte Harris, who made is presence known this week in his first action as a Jaguar. Adding another piece to this offense will only make defending them that much harder so Coach Dre knows he will have to keep teams on their heels and let the horses run. Halfway through the season and Jacksonville is looking like the contender they want to be and hope to be the champions Duval deserves. #DUUUUVAL
The Jaguars football team is enjoying the bye week following their recent win in Miami but the front office is still at work as they announce contract extensions for two key pieces on defense as CB CJ Henderson signed a 6yr, $104 million dollar deal with $70m of the deal guaranteed. They later got a deal done for DE K'Lavon Chaisson to the tune of 3yr $35.9 million with $20m fully guaranteed. The front office have some big time players to resign or look to deal some players as the season continues.
In this week's recap we look at the 23-20 win against the New England Patriots. It was a tough game that showed the metal of the team. The Patriots scored 17 first quarter points as they capitalized on untimely turnovers by the Jaguars. The turnaround was sparked by an interception return for a TD by LB Leon Jacobs. The defense tightened up their play and held the Pats to 3 points the remainder of the game whole forcing 4ints to give the offense the opportunity to find their footing. Things are rounding into shape and the team, still working in new pieces, is starting to look like a contender. #DUUUVAL
After the Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills ended in a 38-21 win, we reflect in the how it happened. The running game, and offense in general, was not hitting on high cylinders but they churned out enough to win. WR DJ Chark started the season with a 144yd bang and made life hard for the Bills secondary. What was troubling was the struggles in the running game with Fournette finishing with only 37yds rushing. That will be an issue to focus on and improve going forward. Newcomer to the offense, RB Mitch Scott was a bright spot. Stepping into the large shoes left by Marlon Mack, he stepped in with 40 total yards, nothing special, but scored 2TDs. The defense was up to its old tricks getting turnovers and pressure but no sacks this week, which will come. Going forward, the Jags feel they have some good pieces to improve and hopefully win their 4th division title in 5 seasons. #DUUUVAAAL
In some surprising moves, the Jags reshaped their roster with some preseason trades that added some depth and good young players. LB Joe Shobert was sent in division to the Texans and the trade brought back FS Sheldon Locke, who looks to replace FS Anthony Harris in due time. Myles Jack moves back to MLB and an additional trade brought his replacement in LB DeVondre Campbell from Arizona in exchange for RB Marlon Mack. The Cards also sent young RB Mitch Scott to the Jags to complete the deal. New faces will see if they can take the Jags to new places. #DUUUVAL
The Jaguars season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs against Cleveland Browns but they feel good about what the future holds. The offense only garnered 1 Pro Bowler in C Andrew Norwell but the balance they had on offense was a bright spot. DJ Chark came just short of 2 1,000 WRs with teammate Michael Thomas but the duo still needs time to develop a chemistry and they hope next season brings it to a title chase. On defense, 1st year starter K'Lavon Chaisson was a bright spot for them, finishing with 11 sacks and just missing a Pro Bowl nod. DT Quinnen Williams proved his metal in the middle and was rewarded with a Pro Bowl nod and an upgrade to Xfactor status around the league. Coach Dre knows the momentum the team built this season will be what carries them in the next as they try and run it back but hopefully end it with hoisting the Dolan Trophy. #DUUUVAL
The Jaguars ended the campaign with a trip to Foxboro to take on the Patriots. Because the playoff seeding had the Jags locked into the #2 seed, the team rested a lot of players or limited their interactions. That meant some little used talents were on display in the contest. QB Teddy Bridgewater was at the helm and had a productive day throwing for 366yds and 1TD but also threw 3ints to water down the results. The defense was not playing with the usual tension and swagger but the Patriots offense and RB Sony Michel helped make that look pedestrian. The team lost the game but found confidence in players on the roster should they be called upon. The goal was to get the team into the playoffs healthy and that plan worked. Now the Jags wait to see who they will host as the remainder of the playoff teams in the AFC round into picture. #DUUUVAL
The Jaguars won a wild game against the Bucs and the ending was crazy. Up 44-7, the Buccaneers coach started running the stadium steps while singing It's A Small World. The game was called due to mental illness. On to Atlanta.
It wasn't one-sided nor was it boring in what was a clash of the veteran coaches in Qpeezy and Dre in a big game between the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags came out with the 23-17 come from behind win. The Saints established their game on offense behind the legs of RB Alvin Kamara, who finished with 186 total yards and the offense fed off of that. QB Jameis Winston played a decent game throwing for 221yds and 1TD but wanted 3 throws back as they resulted in interceptions. The Jags were able to keep some pressure on Winston to influence some throws to be erratic and get off the field. On offense, QB Gardner Minshew was workman like and RB Leonard Fournette scored 2TDs to give them just enough juice to win. The Saints got out to an early lead when they took the opening kickoff downfield and scored a WR Deonte Harris TD catch. The Saints played a balanced attack to go into the half up 17-10 but the Jaguars defense held them scoreless in the second half, which spelled victory for them. The team is rounding into shape but postseason is a different animal so getting right is important. #DUUUVAL
This week in the MOF brings together two OG's to the battle ground in the New Orleans Saints led Coach Q and the Coach Dre led Jaguars. The league has evolved and newer, brighter games have been brought in but it is still great to see the old lions go at it. The Saints arw a high powered offense, led by dynamic RB Alvin Kamara and TE Zach Ertz. With the departure of WR Michael Thomas to the Jags, the Saints offense became Kamara centric, but they still have playmakers outside in former Jags WR Dede Westbrook and Sean McCallister. The Jaguars defense will need to try and funnel Kamara to playmakers inside and ground the run game to make the Saints one dimensional. Tall task, but doable. On defense, the Saints bring an athletic unit led by DE Cam Jordan and FS CJ Gardner-Johnson. Establishing RB Leonard Fournette to keep the defense honest must be at the forefront in order to open the passing lanes for Thomas, DJ Chark and the passing game. This will a great one to watch so get your popcorn ready!!! #DUUUVALL
They say you are only as good as your last game and the last game for the Jaguars was a dud in Denver so they took their show on the road again to The Steel City in search of "get right". They found it. The offense was paced by the play of RB Leonard Fournette as he ran through the curtain for 149yds and a career-tying 5TDs. With the running game working, QB Gardner Minshew didn't have to work as hard but still got the ball to his receivers. WR Michael Thomas topped 100yds again as the lead dog.
The defense was the real story as they were after QB Deshaun Watson, forcing bad throws and plenty of interceptions. CB CJ Henderson had himself a game as he took the challenge of guarding WR Darrell Pinkney and gathered 3ints, taking one of them to the house. #23 is starting to make people forget the guy that wore #20 at CB in Duval and games like this cement those thoughts. Keep grinding boys. #DUUUVAL
The Jaguars travel to Pittsburgh this week to take on the hot Steelers in what will be a huge game. Playoff seeding is starting to take shape and teams are figuring themselves out for the late run, and these two are primed. The Steelers come in with a hot offense led by QB Deshaun Watson who is putting up number to have him in the MVP conversation. The addition of RB Josh Jacobs to the offense gives a thunder & lightning 1-2 punch to go with RB David McCall. Superstar WR Darrell Pinkney leads a WR Corp that is talented and sure handed. But the Steelers have long been known for defense and this bunch is loaded with the likes of Von Miller, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Anthony Barr, and Cam Heyward, reminding folks of the Steel Curtain days. The defense ranks in the top 15 of the league and they will look to get after QB Gardner Minshew and the Jags offense. Coach Dre will have to devise a sounds plan of attack to keep the offense off balance with timely pass rush on 3rd downs after sure tackling and good run defense on early downs. Time will tell if the right game plan will spell a thrill of victory or agony of defeat. #DUUUVAL
During the bye week, Coach Dre knew his team would need something to get them an edge. He gave them rest and relaxation in an effort to keep the team fresh after their 7-2 start. Well at the end of today's 35-23 home loss to the Broncos, the last thing anyone felt was relaxed. The offense was stagnant for the majority of the day, turning the ball over 3 times and giving up wide open TD passes to Bronco receivers. Things in Duval are not all gloom as they sit at 7-3, however things have got to improve fast for the Jags as they try to make their postseason push. Turn the screws and figure it out boys, a lot of riding on this. #DUUUVAL
The hometown fans were treated to a sound 40-10 win today against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. On offense , the Jags got a steady diet of RB Leonard Fournette pounding the Bengals defense into submission and keeping the team ahead of the chains. For the first time this season, the passing game was consistent and got production from all weapons. Superstar WRs DJ Chark and Michale Thomas but had 5 recs for over 50yds each, a far cry from potential but stable. The story of the game was the Sacksonville defense which forced 5 interceptions and 3 sacks. While the offense figures things out, the defense is producing and helping to buoy the team along. Coach Dre knows the regular season means nothing now as past success has brought playoff despair, so he knows he must get his team prepared and tuned for the postseason.
The past few games for the Jaguars have been marred with subpar offense and monumental defensive efforts needed to get wins. That troubles Coach Dre. With the acquisition of WR Michael Thomas, the Jags expected their passing game to take a step forward but it has been a struggle. Defenses are loading up to slow the pass game and the team has not been taking advantage of light boxes or obvious pass defenses. That too troubles Coach Dre. "WE are motivated hitting strides we set for us. Mike is an animal and we are not getting him the ball. Not to mention DJ Chark has become the forgotten man. That cannot happen and it is my job to ensure it doesn't. We will be turning screws to get things right". Short and sweet.