Jaguars vs. Jets: 5 Thoughts and a Prediction
The Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets are both hoping for better days ahead. But first, each squad needs to get through Sunday first.
Sunday will feature a fierce battle between the two last-place teams, with the 2-12 Jaguars traveling to face off against the 3-11 Jets as injuries and COVID-19 have sapped each team of key players.
What are the key storylines entering Sunday's tilt between the Jaguars and Jets and how do we see the game playing out? We break it down below.
Sunday will serve as a public referendum on the Trevor Lawrence vs. Zach Wilson debate, for better or worse
No matter where one stands on the Trevor Lawrence vs. Zach Wilson debate, expect for Sunday's game to only stoke the flames of comparison between the two rookie quarterbacks. The No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence and Wilson will be compared their whole careers, just like Manning and Leaf and Luck and Griffin III before them. It isn't fair to compare the two based on one game for obvious reasons, but seeing one quarterback play well as opposed to the other struggling will obviously generate a significant reaction.
The reality of the situation is that each Lawrence and Wilson have been thrust into roles that haven't ever offered much of a window of success. The play of each this year can be debated, but the lack of offensive production and wins from each can not be. The rookies are going through their growing pains phase, and it certainly has been painful. But even with both teams missing key players in Week 16, the matchup between the two rookie quarterbacks is going to be used as a vehicle for the narratives for or against the first-year signal-callers.
Considering the lineups each Lawrence and Wilson will be playing with on Sunday, it is hard to imagine that Sunday means little for either's future, if anything at all. But as all of the expectations with being top picks go, the context of each's situations will go out the window as the Jaguars and Jets hope to build confidence for their rookie quarterback.
Big No. 1 overall pick implications are on the table
Speaking of No. 1 overall picks, there are some major implications on the table for each team. The Jets would essentially eliminate any chance they have of earning the draft's top pick with a win over the Jaguars, but a loss to the Jaguars would potentially push the Jets up to No. 1 or No. 2 depending on how the Detroit Lions fare. As for the Jaguars, a third win could put them at No. 2, No. 3, or No. 4 overall, with the No. 3 overall pick being the most likely outcome in the event of a win.
In short, Sunday will have just as many implications on the draft's top pick as last week's game against the Texans, which all but ensured the Jaguars would finish with a top-3 pick. This is the last truly winnable game the Jaguars have considering they are playing the Patriots and Colts to finish the season, meaning a win on Sunday would create a seismic shift while a loss would likely ensure the No. 1 pick as a lock for the second year in a row.
Andre Cisco will get his long-awaited chance
Third-round safety Andre Cisco will finally get his chance. It seems like Cisco's name has come up at least once a week during press conferences at TIAA Bank Field, with the question being fairly simple: why won't the Jaguars play their rookie safety? W Drafted with the No. 65 overall pick this past April, Cisco has been an afterthought in the Jaguars' safety rotation all season, but that will change Sunday as a result of Rayshawn Jenkins' season-ending ankle injury.
“Well I’ll tell you, he did a good job. Both him and DT [S Daniel Thomas] did a nice job coming in. Unfortunately, [injuries] happen, and you have to be ready at the snap of a finger like that," defensive coordinator Joe Cullen said this week. "He made a heck of a play. We kept him in dime in the third down role like he was. He made a really good play one time getting off the field. They hit a crossing route and he came in aggressive, made the tackle, we get off the field."
"Some things he was a little tentative, he wasn’t sure. He knew what to do but just go do it. I told him this week, ‘Hey, you get an opportunity to start. Go shoot your gun and let the chips fall.’ I think you’re going to see some good things. I think he has the athleticism and the speed and it’s his opportunity now really to showcase that he can be a starter in the league.”
This is the chance Cisco has been waiting on all season long. It isn't ideal that it occurred due to an injury to a key veteran starter, but it does give the Jaguars an extended look at a young piece of the secondary who to this point is more of an unknown than anything else. Three games is a small sample size, but it is a sample size that has increased from zero and is the biggest and best chance for Cisco yet.
Ron Middleton makes an unlikely appearance against his old team
The Jaguars were already set to coach against a former assistant this week considering Jets head coach Robert Saleh is the team's former linebackers coach. Well, that won't change a bit with long-time former Jaguars' tight ends coach and current Jets tight ends coach Ron Middleton stepping into the head coach role.
Middleton just finished an eight-year tenure on the Jaguars' staff from 2013-2021, working under both Gus Bradley and Doug Marrone. While Middleton's tight end rooms rarely put up great numbers, he was one of the most respected and recognizable members of the coaching staff during his tenure, and Sunday will give one of his former players a chance to show just how far he has come thanks to Middleton's coaching.
"Mid, I don’t think I can describe it enough what he’s done for my career. Him as a person, him as a coach, he’s one the best mindset coaches I’ve ever heard, ever been around," Jaguars tight end James O'Shaughnessy said this week. "He’s one of the best technical coaches when it comes to the tight end position, obviously because he played it, and then coaching it for a long time. Then him as a man, [he’s] just been a great mentor in a lot of ways and making me a better man. He’s done great things for my career when I came into learning how to block, becoming a more well-rounded tight end. I could go on for days.
"I love Mid and when I saw that, I texted him right away. I couldn’t have been happier for him. He ever gets the opportunity to be a full-time head coach, I think he’d do wonderful things. Like I said, I don’t have enough time to go through all of the things I want to thank him for. But I just know a lot of people here have the utmost respect for him, players and coaches.”
Two former Jaguars who Jacksonville will have to limit to prevent a loss
If the Jaguars are going to squeak a win out against the Jets on Sunday, it will take a big effort to stop two former members of the Jaguars' roster who moved onto greener pastures and large roles with the Jets this offseason. Wide receiver Keelan Cole will likely be the Jets' No. 1 receiver on Sunday, facing off against the Jaguars for the first time in his career after four years with the Jaguars, while former 2019 third-round pick Quincy Williams will play the Jaguars for the first time since the team cut the linebacker before Week 1.
Cole's numbers with the Jets haven't exactly popped (21 catches on 41 targets for 335 yards (16.0 yards per catch), but that is largely due to the fact that Cole has been sitting behind several other receivers. With the Jets facing injuries at the position on Sunday, however, we can expect a large dosage of Cole and for him to likely be the focal point of the passing game.
Meanwhile, Williams has had a resurgent season with the Jets and has thrived in Saleh's defensive scheme after not making the Jaguars roster. Williams' time in Jacksonville didn't work out, but he has looked like an electric playmaker with the Jets and has the speed and physicality to create turnovers at any point of the game if the Jaguars aren't careful.
Prediction
Jets 24, Jaguars 10.
I know the Jets are missing over a dozen players and quite a few starters, and I know their head coach likely won't be on the sidelines ... but I still can't bring myself to pick the Jaguars. The Jaguars just lost to a Houston Texans team that was depleted by COVID-19 and injuries, and the Texans are a worse team than the Jets.
