Jaguars Mailbag: Can Jacksonville Slow Down the Giants' Blitz?
Each week during this year's season, Jaguar Report will take Jacksonville Jaguars-related questions from our readers across social media and answer them in a question-and-answer format, giving readers a chance to have their voices heard.
You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the Jaguar Report Twitter handle or by submitting them here.
This week we take questions on the Jaguars' Week 7 matchup vs. the New York Giants, how the Jaguars can stop the Giants' blitzes, Saquon Barkley and more.
Q: How concerned should we be about Giants' blitzes?
A: I think very concerned. The Giants aren't like the Colts and Texans, two defenses that showed you every down what they were going to do. The Giants are going to have exotic looks on a down-to-down basis and rarely give the offense the same look twice, meaning the Jaguars can't focus on simply executing like they have the last two weeks. The Giants blitz on 42.5% of their plays per Pro Football Reference, making it clear that this is who they are.
How can the Jaguars slow it down? Screens, such as the ones they attempted to get Travis Etienne going on last week, can help. So can getting rid of the ball quickly, as well as six- and seven-man protections with running backs and tight ends. James Robinson should be a heavy crutch this week due to his ability to identify and protect against the blitz.
Most importantly, though, Trevor Lawrence has to trust what he sees. He can't make pressing mistakes like he made against the Houston Texans, or the Giants will be able to make him pay.
Q: Is Saquon the best player the Jaguars will have faced so far this year?
A: If you are counting all players as completely healthy, I think the order goes like this for the Jaguars' entire season
- Patrick Mahomes
- Lamar Jackson
- Justin Herbert
- Lane Johnson
- Saquon Barkley
- Patrick Surtain Jr.
Herbert was banged up in Week 3 and was clearly not 100% so, yes, I do think the current form of Barkley is the best player the Jaguars will have seen so far this year. Lane Johnson is an elite right tackle, but he doesn't completely change a game the way Barkley can.
Q: Do we see Shaq Griffin benched before December?
A: I don't know, mostly because this is a new staff and scheme and it is always a question of exactly how they see pieces fitting. The Jaguars' staff last year was on board with Griffin as their No. 1 cornerback, but it is a whole new deck of cards being shuffled with Doug Pederson's squad. If Griffin has another game like he did in Week 6, maybe it could happen. But it is worth pointing out that he has had more good performances than bad ones this year, but the worst performance is the most glaring.
Q: From what you have heard or seen. How do you believe the running back situation will play out this weekend against the Giants. Is there a scenario where Etienne can fully take over the backfield or can James Robinson redeem his place in the hierarchy
A: I don't think either has taken over in the backfield, honestly. Robinson actually has more carries than Etienne over the last two weeks and their play-time has been more or less the same. The difference has been that Etienne has been the Jaguars' early-down back, while Robinson has been their third-down back thanks to his pass-protection. I expect for the Jaguars to have the same 50-50 split this week, utilizing both Etienne and Robinson and their varying skill sets in different situations throughout the game.
Q: It seems as though the offense and maybe the game plan get handcuffed when one of our starting receivers is ruled out. Why isn’t the team then more active or aggressive in looking to upgrade the group via trade?
A: I don't think the Jaguars want to be in the business of giving up draft picks. Trent Baalke's entire philosophy dating back to his time as general manager with the San Francisco 49ers is to build through the draft. It was uncharacteristic for him to spend as much as he did this past offseason, just as it would be uncharacteristic for him to send premium picks to a team for a wide receiver when the Jaguars are already high on their receiver room. Ultimately, I just don't think that he is the kind of general manager to make a bold move like that. His bold moves come in April.
Q: Do you think Darious Williams should move outside opposite Campbell?
A: I think it should be explored, but it is only fair for me to say that I have never actually seen Darious Williams as a natural fit inside at slot. I think Williams is a better fit on the outside than inside and I could very easily see the Jaguars finding more success with Williams and Campbell on the outside, but then the question is what about the slot? Do the Jaguars trust Tre Herndon enough there? Could Shaq Griffin make the move inside? There are enough questions that it makes it easier and perhaps even right to stick with what has worked up until Week 6.
Q: Why do you think the Jaguars weren't more aggressive in finding a big receiver who can win jump balls? It seems like that is what we are missing
A: I don't get the impression the Jaguars think they needed a receiver like that. The Jaguars' offense has been perfectly productive without that kind of receiver, so it isn't as if their inability to pass beyond 20 yards has impacted them greatly due to their ability to scheme receivers open in the underneath and intermediate areas of the field. It is also worth remembering Lawrence's worst passes typically are the ones where he tests defenses deep, at least in terms of accuracy.
In short, I don't think the Jaguars saw the receiver room and thought they couldn't use a receiver like that -- but I do think they saw it and thought they could survive without one. So far, they are mostly right, but it should still be a priority moving forward.
Q: When are the sacks going to start coming for Josh Allen and Travon Walker? 4 sacks in six games ...
A: It is a fair question. The two combined for three sacks over the first two weeks, but they have just one since (Josh Allen in Week 4). The last two games have been particularly frustrating for the Jaguars' pass rush since the Texans went with a ground-and-pound game plan and the Colts opted to get the ball out of Matt Ryan's hands immediately after the snap. Neither of those issues are the fault of the Jaguars' young pass-rushers, but it does show that the Jaguars' rush can be neutralized at times schematically. And it isn't as if neither has generated pressure, with Allen having the best six-game start of his career from a pressure perspective.
With this said, the Jaguars' picked Walker No. 1 and picked up Allen's option for a reason. The Jaguars are quietly No. 27 in sacks with just 10 in six games, a number that doesn't make much sense for a team that has invested so much in its pass-rush. The sacks need to start coming sooner than later, or there will be heavy questions to ask.
Q: How much of last week was actually Trevor playing well vs. an easy game-plan?
A: I think it goes hand in hand. The Jaguars threw a fair amount of screens and quick passes on Sunday to help go hand-in-hand with the success of the running game, while the loss of Marvin Jones and his team-high average depth of target 13.2 was very clear. Just consider this: only two Jaguars have an ADOT higher than 10 yards; Jones and Jamal Agnew (10.4). Agnew has only been targeted 11 times, too, so his number is inflated by a handful of targets. The Jaguars simply don't have the weapons to win downfield and Jones is the only option that has worked out even to an average level through six weeks.
With this in mind, I still think Lawrence had an impressive outing. He made several big third-down plays throughout the game, took what the defense gave him, and was the driving force behind their 18-play touchdown drive at the end of the game. He played well.
