The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a must-win situation against the Baltimore Ravens. The odds at making the playoffs at 0-2 are slim historically. The odds at making the playoffs at 0-3 are astronomical.
And quite frankly, if Gus Bradley loses this game today I think his fate is sealed no matter the outcome of the London game next week.
So, with all that said, the possibilities are endless in a game where anything could happen. The Ravens are 2-0, but they’re an ugly 2-0. The Jaguars are 0-2 and they’re an ugly 0-2. Let the games begin!
1. Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue both get a sack again
They combined for three sacks last week and even though the Jaguars were down by multiple scores, most of the sacks and pressures by Dante and Yannick were in the first half. I tend to attach less of a garbage time stigma to sacks because offensive linemen don't go lax on protecting their quarterback like defensive backs do when playing prevent and allowing easy yards underneath. I think Dante and Yannick are doing better than expected and I think Todd Wash, regardless of what he says about Joe Flacco's mobility, will be rushing his edge guys.
2. Allen Hurns finishes with more targets than Allen Robinson
Last week, Robinson saw just five targets to Hurns' 10. It was part San Diego locking down Robinson to force the passing game elsewhere and Greg Olson's design to run the offense through T.J. Yeldon (for some reason). I think this becomes a trend this season until Hurns proves he's dangerous enough to warrant more game planning and thereby opening up the field for Robinson again. I don't think that happens until after the bye week, so look for Hurns to get two targets for every one of Robinson's.
3. The Jaguars lose and go to 0-3
Why is this a bold prediction? Because the most Jaguars thing to do would be for the team to get a win today to provide a glimmer of hope going into London and prevent the bloodletting for another week. Nope. Not today. I think they get railroaded and come back in the fourth quarter to make the box score look respectable but it's not going to be much of a game.