Jaguars Vs. Ravens: 3 Defensive Keys Vs. the Elusive Lamar Jackson
As the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12) head north this weekend for their Week 15 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens (8-5), they’ll be facing a unique offense that is arguably the best at what they do.
At this point in the season and with the current record, the Jags won’t be making the playoffs. The goal now is to work on what can be carried into the future and maybe even find a win along the way.
To achieve one of or both of those goals against the Ravens offense and Lamar Jackson, it will take these three defensive keys.
Expect the Unexpected
When facing a player like Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the only thing that can truly be expected is that nothing will go as expected. Jackson is dangerous outside the pocket and has picked up an average of 36.8 yards a game this season on purely designed runs according to Pro Football Focus. But where Jackson becomes truly lethal is when he works after a play has fallen apart, where he’s arguably the league’s best. Through 14 games this season, Jackson is averaging 19.9 earned yards per game on scrambles, meaning yards past the line of scrimmage. Scrambles came sometimes account for just as much if not more yardage ran behind the sticks.
This issue, as Jaguars coaches and players all echoed this week, is not even so much Jackson’s elusiveness, but his speed once in space and it’s the speed with which he runs the elusive plays that makes him so difficult to defend. According to Head Coach Doug Marrone and staff, the best way to simulate it in practice for reps is to put a wide receiver—notably faster players—at quarterback and have them run askew with the ball as fast as they can. Receiver Terry Godwin played the role this week before going on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday.
“We were joking and I said, ‘We should go on walkthrough mode and let the quarterback just play normal speed, and then that’s what it’s going to be like on Sunday.’ Because he is extremely fast and he can hurt you,” admitted Defensive Coordinator Todd Wash on Thursday.
“It’s supposed to be back drop pass and he’s going to run for 40 or 50. So, we’ve got a wide receiver playing quarterback for us, giving us a real good look. But the first series is going to be different, because he plays at a totally different level than anybody else in this league.
"As a pass rush unit, we cannot get behind him. We’ve talked about that all week. If you get past him, his set points at 8 yards—it’s really 8.3, but 8 yards—and we can’t get deeper than that. If he can step up and get out through the B gaps, he’s killing teams doing that. So, that’s got to be the point of emphasis.”
Linebacker Myles Jack has only seen Jackson in preseason games right after the quarterback entered the NFL…and of course in the Madden video game, where Jack admits he turns down Jackson’s difficulty level in order to beat him. So on Sunday, he’s excited to see the challenge up close.
"You really just kind of have to deal with him and hope he decides to throw instead of run. Even when he throws, he can still make really good passes, so he’s a tough guy. He’s very talented, MVP. Every time you turn on Madden, you see him, so he’s the real deal and he’s definitely going to be a challenge for us this week.”
Tip Your Hat, Then Move On
Head Coach Doug Marrone knows those plays will happen. The key, as he explained to reporters this week, will be tipping your hat when they do and then moving on it to keep it from happening again.
“You have to respect it, but you have to come back and figure it out. I used to always tell the players when I was a position coach, once in awhile you just have to tip your hat and say that’s a hell of a play. I think the first thing you do is evaluate what could I have done better to stop that play. This guy made a great play, how many great plays can they make in a game and then try to limit those plays. If you ever feel like you’re going out and there and all of sudden you’re like, ‘Ugh, I can’t do this, can’t do that’, it’s going to be a bad day, not a long day, a bad day to do that.
“What’s interesting [is that] schematically they do a very good job of they have a lot of things going on. He [Ravens QB Lamar Jackson]’s a big weapon, but they have other weapons. They have linemen pulling one way, running the opposite way, or him holding the football. They put a lot on you as far as making sure that your eyes are right and your responsibility’s right. I think that’s one of the things, it’s almost like if you’re playing a wing T or a triple-option team. The first thing you have to make sure you’re right on is your assignments and then obviously the execution and be able to make the play."
The Ravens' offense will make their plays, especially Lamar Jackson. The key for the Jaguars is to move onto the next play and attempt to execute better when given another chance.
That is much easier said than done, but is the only real option on hand for the Jaguars moving into Week 15.
Allow For Flexibility In the Secondary
Sidney Jones IV was officially ruled out for Sunday with a lingering Achilles injury. CJ Henderson and D.J. Hayden are still on IR. Tre Herndon was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday. Chris Claybrooks has been designated for return but has not yet been promoted to the active roster, although Marrone did tell reporters on Friday they expected to have him back. He did not appear on Fridays injury report.
Rookie Josiah Scott will fill in for Herndon while Luq Barcoo will likely play more outside. Marrone also told reporters on Friday that Quenton Meeks and Greg Mabin would both be up on Sunday.
In other words, the Jaguars secondary is currently turning more than a fairground carousel.
Wash spoke of the nickel situation in ambiguous terms, as far as whether or not Herndon was playing, but as of now he remains on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. That will adjust the defensive game plan according to Wash.
“There’s no doubt we need to have two nickels if Tre is not playing on Sunday. So, you’ll take some there, inside and outside.”
That flexibility has been par for the course when it comes to the cornerback unit this season, forcing young guys to be thrown. Into the fire and learn quick. So now, Wash just wants to see that continue to pay off on Sunday.
“It’s just that kind of year, that position group has really been hit and there’s usually one position group a year that gets hit, for some ungodly reason. But I’m excited about watching these younger guys play again. It’s going to be a great challenge with the wide receivers that we’re going to face and they’ll come out and compete regardless of what numbers are out there.”
The Jaguars and the Ravens kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. EST in Baltimore. The game will be on CBS.
