Jaguars Roundtable: Can Jacksonville Find a Win on the Road vs. the Seahawks?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-5 and looking for their second win in a row. Standing in their way is a west coast trip that has never been kind to the franchise, as well as a reeling Seattle team that is perhaps even more desperate for a win than the Jaguars are.

So, who has the edge between the Jaguars and Seattle entering Week 8's road game? From the passing game to the defense, the Jaguar Report staff breaks it all down below.

1) Will the Jaguars actually get pressure on Geno Smith or do the pass rush issues continue?

John Shipley: I think this week is a week the Jaguars' pass-rush actually improves. Even if the Seahawks enter Sunday with their starting unit, they will still be starting two linemen who have been on the injury report this week in Duane Brown and Damien Lewis. It already isn't a great line to begin with, so I like Josh Allen and Dawuane Smoot in this matchup, even if it doesn't end in high sack totals.

Gus Logue: The pass rush issues continue. Geno Smith has struggled under pressure recently, but he should at least expect to be less hurried against Jacksonville after tough matchups versus Pittsburgh and New Orleans the past two weeks. I think he’ll have enough time to find Seattle’s weapons early and often on Sunday.

Michael Phillips: The pass rush issues will continue. I believe the Seahawks will help protect Geno Smith with quick throws and not allow pressure to really get to him. Unfortunately, that plus Smith’s ability to move around and extend plays with his legs will prove difficult for the Jaguars poor pass rush to bring him down. Josh Allen and company have improved over the last few weeks and pressured Tua Tagaviloa two weeks ago in London, but ultimately I don’t believe Smith will be put in the same situations as Tua.

Demetrius Harvey: This is sort of a question of how much pressure, rather than if because the weakness of the Seattle Seahawks offense is at the two position groups that matter the most when discussing it: the offensive line and quarterback. With Geno Smith at the helm, the Jaguars ought to be able to get much more pressure than in weeks prior. Smith has the tendency to hold onto the football, giving the pass rush an easier time. Now, that doesn’t mean the Jaguars will suddenly look like the Purple People Eaters, but they should look far more competent on Sunday.

2) Who is more likely to make an impact: Laviska Shenault or Jamal Agnew?

John Shipley: My gut says Shenault, though I do think Agnew in the middle of the offense will play a massive role. I just feel like Shenault is due for a big game, especially against a team like the Seahawks that has struggled at cornerback and resorted to rotating Sidney Jones and Tre Brown, each of whom has had their own issues at times. Shenault is too big and too strong for the Seahawks' secondary, and the Jaguars will continue to feed him the ball as they try to create big plays for Lawrence.

Gus Logue: It really looks like Agnew is starting to earn a serious, full-time role in the Jaguars offense: Urban Meyer called Agnew the team’s “best separator” and Darrell Bevell said “Now he's one of our 3 guys, he's one of our main guys.” I think this could be an Agnew breakout game as Shenault continues to struggle as a perimeter receiver.

Michael Phillips: Right now the answer has to be Agnew. He has become a big part of the offense since DJ Chark went down. Shenault just hasn’t gotten going the way we all thought he would while Agnew continues to see an increase in his role offensively each week. His performance against Miami was fantastic for this offense and he has the hot hand right now in the slot for the Jaguars.

Demetrius Harvey: Who would have thought heading into the season that we’d even put Agnew in the same position group as Shenault? Entering the year, Agnew was a receiver by designation only. He was signed to return kicks, and he’s proven to be one of the best in the league in doing so. He’s been their most productive free-agent signee thus far. However, he’s quickly transitioned into one of their best receivers as far as separation, catching and play-making ability. For Shenault, he’s still learning how to play the outside receiver spot, catching passes downfield. For that reason, I’m going to go with Agnew here, in a surprising upset.

3) Do the Jaguars have a path to stopping the Seahawks' WR duo?

John Shipley: No, largely because the Jaguars are entering Sunday with just one cornerback they can depend on from a snap-to-snap basis. I actually think Shaquill Griffin could match up well with D.K. Metcalf, but Tyler Lockett is a bad matchup for Tyson Campbell, Tre Herndon, and Nevin Lawson. Ultimately the Jaguars can match up with one of the Seahawks' dangerous wideouts, but nothing we have seen this season suggests that they can contain the other one; it will just be up to Smith to get the ball to them.

Gus Logue: I don’t think so, mostly because I expect Tyler Lockett to have a massive day against Jaguars cornerbacks not named Shaquill Griffin. The former Seahawk will likely matchup on D.K. Metcalf for the most part, which will leave Lockett to feast on the scraps of Jacksonville’s secondary.

The defense’s only hope of stopping the duo is to apply constant pressure to Geno Smith to make him uncomfortable, but the pass rush has yet to prove this season that it can make a significant impact.

Michael Phillips: If DK Metcalf cannot go then yes they do. He did not practice on Wednesday although he is most likely going to play. Unfortunately, this secondary has had its fair share of trouble locking down receivers. The return of Tyson Campbell will help and Shaquil Griffin will be looking to have a big impact against his former team, but it’s an uphill battle against arguably the best receiving duo in the league even without their pro bowl quarterback. The key for the Jaguars secondary against Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will be just limiting the big plays.

Demetrius Harvey: Technically the team could just double cover both receivers and try to isolate the tight end and running backs with linebackers, but that just doesn’t make sense, so there’s not really a path to stop both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. The Jaguars will have to just hope to slow them down, which they can do by being creative. With Tyson Campbell returning this week and Shaq Griffin playing at a high level, I don’t expect Seattle to simply pass all over Jacksonville, but, no they won’t stop them, not even close.

4) Jamal Adams vs. Trevor Lawrence will be a chess match. Who has the advantage?

John Shipley: I think the biggest issues Adams will give Lawrence is pre-snap, which is an area Lawrence has thrived in over the last three games. Adams is given a wide-ranging role that allows him to essentially play all over the field and disguise his intents along the way, making it key for Lawrence to be able to identify him before the ball is snapped. Give me an even battle here, with Lawrence having the advantage passing the ball due to Adams' coverage issues, while Adams will be a persistent threat to forcing a Lawrence turnover behind the line of scrimmage.

Gus Logue: Adams hasn’t been terrific this season, but I’ll give the edge to him over Lawrence due to the gaps in experience and respective talent levels around them. It’ll be interesting to see if Lawrence targets Adams’ weak man coverage skills, particularly deep down the field.

Michael Phillips: This has to be referring to the ground game doesn’t it? I kid, but Jamal Adam’s has been miserable in coverage for the Seahawks defense this season, and Lawrence has been steadily improving each week. Right now I’d give the advantage to the rookie. His ability to limit mistakes over the last three games is crucial, and unless he’s on the move with Adam’s coming downhill at him I think Lawrence will hold his own against the former pro bowl safety.

Demetrius Harvey: Lawrence has quickly developed as the team’s quarterback this year, becoming the player everyone expected him to be when Jacksonville picked Lawrence No. 1 overall in this year’s draft. Going up against Adams, I don’t really expect him to be one of the major players in the passing game that one would expect out of a safety. Adams has never shown the ability to play the pass well and can be picked on as a result. Now, the issue will come when Adams is sent on a blitz or affects the team in other areas of protection or run fits. I believe Adams will win that battle, while Lawrence will win the battle through the air.

5) Score prediction?

John Shipley: If Russell Wilson was playing, this wouldn't be a tough call. But without Wilson, the Seahawks are dangerously close being the same quality of team that Jacksonville is; an inconsistent offense, a solid run defense, and a pass defense that gets shredded. Give me Jaguars 26, Seahawks 23 in a game between two not very good teams, with the Jaguars simply having the quarterback advantage.

Gus Logue: Seahawks 24, Jaguars 20. Lumen Field is a tough place for a rookie quarterback to get a road win, especially if Seattle manages to stifle Jacksonville’s rushing attack. I think Smith will do just enough through the air to outscore Lawrence and co. in a low-scoring game.

Michael Phillips: I think Seattle has been reeling the last few weeks while Jacksonville is trending up. If the defense can limit Seattle’s offense then the Jaguars will have a chance. They struggle historically on the west coast, but I’m going against the grain. 27-20 Jaguars.

Demetrius Harvey: This is tough. The Jaguars are 3-13 all-time heading out west. They haven’t shown to be capable of playing up to competition thus far this season, and while Seattle is 2-6, they certainly have better talent in general on the field. But, with all of the struggles, and factoring on Smith, not Wilson, as the Seahawks’ QB this weekend, I think Jacksonville has a good shot. I’ll say they win 24-13.