Jacksonville Jaguars Preview and Prediction

Team Preview

In 2010, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished 8-8. In the six years since, the Jaguars have earned 22 wins combined. This preseason, head coach Doug Marrone stated that the Jaguars were in a quarterback competition.

Blake Bortles and Chad Henne are the two quarterbacks battling for the job. Bortles has been the Jaguars' starter since 2014 and has had a clean bill of health so far. The QB out of UCF has never posted a season with a higher completion percentage than 60. Bortles had a promising season two years ago, throwing for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns. He followed it up with a 3,905-yard, 23-touchdown season last year. While nothing is wrong with those numbers, the 43 turnovers in those two seasons are. Henne has been with the Jags since 2012 but has played in just four games since Bortles joined the team. 2016 sixth-rounder Brandon Allen is also in the mix and could see some time on the field if both Henne and Bortles struggle.

At running back, the Jaguars hope they found a leader after selecting Leonard Fournette with the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. Last year, Jacksonville rushed for just over 100 yards a game, ranking 22nd in the league.

While Fournette is expected to receive a majority of the carries, Chris Ivory and TJ Yeldon should also snag a few carries per game. If the Jaguars can find a nice balanced workload to use between the three backs, the unit would stay fresh while helping out the passing game.

The receiving corps is led by the trio of Allen Robinson, Marquise Lee and Allen Hurns. Robinson led the team last year with 73 receptions and 883 yards while adding six touchdowns. Those numbers came after a 80-catch, 1,400-yard, 14-TD season. Lee added 851 yards and three scores on 63 receptions while Hurns recorded 35 catches and 477 yards after missing a handful of games. Fourth round pick Dede Westbrook also should figure into the mix.

2017 second round offensive lineman Cam Robinson hopes to sure up an o-line that ranked in the middle of the league last year. Both the passing and running game should benefit from the addition of Robinson.

I was surprised to see that the Jags' defense only allowed 322 yards a game last year, although they still allowed 25 points per game. A lot of that had to do with the fact that the offense could not move the ball and left their defense trying to defend short fields. So, regardless of how well the defense plays this season, it all comes down to whether or not the offense can move the ball and allow the defense to rest.

Linebacker Paul Posluszny racked up a team-high 132 total tackles last year. Teamed with fellow LB Telvin Smith, who added 118 total tackles, the Jaguars are solid in the middle of the defense. Myles Jack looks to put up some eye-popping numbers of his own while anchoring the middle of the Jaguars' new linebacker approach.

In the secondary, Jacksonville will need to replace departed safety Johnathan Cyprien, who had 128 total tackles. Tashaun Gipson and former Dallas Cowboy Barry Church will look to fill that gap. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey comes off a promising rookie campaign and hopes to shut down passing games with the help of former Houston Texan AJ Bouye. CB's Aaron Colvin and 2017 seventh-rounder Jalen Myrick also figure to see plenty of time on the field.

The signing of former Arizona Cardinal Calais Campbell bolsters the Jags' defensive line. Last year, Yannick Ngakoue and Malik Jackson recorded eight and 6 ½ sacks, respectively. There's also 2015 first round pick Dante Fowler Jr., who is coming off his first season after missing the 2015 season with a torn ACL. The quartet forms one of the better pass rushing units in the NFL. The addition of Campbell should also bolster the Jags against the run after the team ranked 19th last year.

2017-18 Schedule/Predictions 1 - at Houston Texans (L) 2 - vs Tennessee Titans (L) 3 - vs Baltimore Ravens (W) 4 - at New York Jets (W) 5 - at Pittsburgh Steelers (L) 6 - vs Los Angeles Rams (L) 7 - at Indianapolis Colts (L) 8 - BYE 9 - vs Cincinnati Bengals (W) 10 - vs Los Angeles Chargers (L) 11 - at Cleveland Browns (L) 12 - at Arizona Cardinals (L) 13 - vs Indianapolis Colts (L) 14 - vs Seattle Seahawks (L) 15 - vs Houston Texans (W) 16 - at San Francisco 49ers (L) 17 - at Tennessee Titans (L)

Season Record: 4-12, 1-5 AFC South

Before the Jaguars want to start winning games, they are going to have to determine their starting quarterback. The Jags' schedule really doesn't offer a stretch of three or more games that are winnable, so earning wins over teams like the Jets, Rams, 49ers, etc. will be key if the team hopes to be in the playoff hunt. I don't see any of the team's QB's being able to lead this team to the playoffs, meaning the upcoming season is another one that the Jacksonville Jaguars will fall short of what a roster like this should be able to do. If the Jaguars struggle again this year, it's almost certain that a QB not named Bortles will line up behind center next year.

Next AFC Team Up - Miami Dolphins

Sources not listed in article: ESPN - stats; Ourlads - depth chart; Playoff Predictors - schedule/record projections.

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