Jaguars Prepared For Latest Version of Legendary Jets' Aaron Rodgers

Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense faced one of the most experienced starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

This week, they are playing a future Hall of Famer with two decades of football under his belt.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't turn the Jets into a Super Bowl contender like many hoped, but the Jaguars know he poses as big of a challenge as ever in Week 14.

“Run around, making plays with his legs. He can make every throw," Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said on Thursday.

"Ball’s coming out quick. It’s going to be a huge challenge as it is every time you play him. He’s still playing at a high level. Sees the game extremely fast, and gets the ball out. We’ve got to do a good job at our rush, not letting him extend. Then in our coverage, playing tight coverage, no easy throws. Nothing cheap, nothing deep, and keep him in the pocket.”

Rodgers will of course also be equipped with two of the best receivers the Jaguars are going to see all season in Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson. While neither has helped the Jets' offense get out of it's seemingly decades-long rut, they are still a major obstacle for any defense.

But this is a Jaguars defense coming off its best game of the season. In two of the Jaguars' last four games, they have not even allowed a touchdown. Now, they will need to bring the same level of execution into Week 15.

"We’ve just got to play our game. We’ve got to be aggressive with them," Nielsen said. "Can’t let them get going, easy throws, easy completions—make it tough on them. Make them earn every yard. Those types of things. We’ve got to do a good job in the run game. Don’t give them third-and-shorts, convert and keep the drive going. They’ll be up for the challenge for sure.”

One of the few players on the roster the last time the Jaguars played Rodgers (2020) is defensive end Josh Hines-Allen. Hines-Allen is going for his own sets of records, but he knows that disrupting Rodgers will go a long way,

"He still does Aaron Rodgers things. Obviously, you have to respect their Hall of Fame player. Excited to go against him," Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said on Thursday. "But, you know, I've really been studying my matchup up front. That's really been my key focus. Obviously, I can look at him all day, but if I'm not whooping the guy in front of me, it doesn't matter. He'll be back there throwing dimes or escaping where he needs to escape.

"So for me, it is to understand my matchup and to dominate my 1/11. If I could do that, get to him. You know, I know you don't want to get hit. You know, I know that. So if we can affect the game up front and again, stopping the run early, get him in that situation."

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