3 Jaguars Who Will Be Key for Playoff Pursuit

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a spot in the crowded AFC, and their 7-4 record entering Week 13 gives them quite the position moving forward. But for the Jaguars to complete their playoff push, they will need a few key players to step up.
So, who are three players we think are integral to the Jaguars' hopes for the playoffs? We break it down below.
TE Brenton Strange

Few players have been as important to the Jaguars' offense this season as Brenton Strange. Life simply looked tougher for the in the five weeks Strange was injured, and it was far from shocking to see him have a near 100-yard day in his first game in over a month. Strange is now fully integrated back in the offense, and he could almost alone raise their floor and ceiling over the final six weeks of the season.
According to Next Gen Stats, Strange is the No. 5 tight end in football in terms of EPA per target -- behind only Dalton Kincaid, Tucker Kraft, George Kittle, and Sam LaPorta. Few tight ends have been as consistently productive as Strange when he is on the field this season, and he could push the Jaguars' offense into a new direction.
DE Danny Striggow

The Jaguars' pass-rush has looked much improved in recent weeks, especially over the last two games. The Jaguars have 21 sacks this season, and nine have come over the last two weeks alone. A big reason for the improved rush has been moving some of the pieces in the rotation, with Dennis Gardeck, BJ Green and Danny Striggow each getting more reps on passing downs.
Striggow has been especially impressive since his snaps have increased. He has six pressures in the last three weeks, tied for the fourth most amongst all rookie pass-rushers. He is doing that despite playing between 40 and 68 fewer pass-rush snaps than the players he shares the list with. For example, he has the same amount of pressure in the last three weeks as Abdul Carter, according to PFF, but has done so with 66 fewer pass-rush snaps than Carter.
K Cam Little

Any team with playoff hopes needs a strong kicker considering how close the margin for error is this time of year. Cam Little is PFF's highest-graded kicker since the bye week, going 100% on extra points and going 8-of-8 on field goals in that span, including the NFL record. Little is on fire, and should be a major piece for the Jaguars' playoff push.
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John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.
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