The NFL season is quickly passing us by. Before we have had the chance to blink, it’s already Week 4 and many teams are in the midst of trying to find their team identity. Are the Giants really as good as their Thursday night beatdown of Washington suggests? Can the Cardinals contend for the NFC West title? Are the Jacksonville Jaguars really as bad as we all think they are?
I’ll try to tackle that last question here in my weekly preview of the Jaguars. Honestly, as odd as it may seem, I do not think the Jaguars are as bad as their performance suggests. The Jaguars were hurt by their initial belief in QB Chad Henne. I respect Henne as a 2nd string QB, but he has shown this season (and others before) that he is not a starting caliber NFL QB. Head coach Gus Bradley finally pulled the trigger last week and played rookie QB Blake Bortles in the 2nd half of a blowout loss to Indianapolis. I understand that one player does not make or break a team; however, the confidence and excitement that Bortles brought can be infectious for the whole team. The fans rallied around him last week, and I suspect the team will too.
The Jaguars will need all of the positive mojo that they can muster this week as they take on the San Diego Chargers in beautiful southern California. QB Philip Rivers and the Chargers are looking for their third straight win after losing their season opener at Arizona.
Like always, I will break down this game with a brief game introduction, list 3 players to watch, a fantasy sleeper, and make my game prediction.
Introduction
I have already addressed some of this week’s storylines above, but I’ll add a few more here. As mentioned, the Jaguars offense did not find much of a rhythm with Henne under center. However, the defense has been equally disappointing so far, too. They have given up 119 points in three games and have a league-worst 75 point differential. Defensive coordinator Bob Babich must have his team fired up and ready to go because they will face one of the league’s hottest QB’s in Rivers. Rivers has thrown for 6 TD’s this season and helped guide the Chargers to an upset victory over the defending champion Seattle Seahawks.
Defensively, the Chargers will be without LB Manti Te’o, who leads the team in tackles this year. However, the Chargers are a deep defensive team and are looking to take advantage of a struggling Jacksonville offense in this game.
Of note, the Chargers are 4-1 against the Jaguars in the last five meetings between the teams. The Jaguars only win in the past five games came back in 2007.
Blake Bortles looks to win his first game as a starter for the Jaguars.
3 Players to Watch
Blake Bortles, QB (Jacksonville): The 3rd overall pick from May’s draft will finally get his chance to start this Sunday against the Chargers. Bortles, in limited action, has looked better than Chad Henne. Bortles gave us a glimpse of his athletic ability last Sunday by scrambling on a few plays. Even though he will make “rookie” mistakes, I believe that this is the correct choice for the Jaguars moving forward. This franchise is going to live and die by Bortles over the next few seasons, so this week is a great opportunity to give him a chance to show off his ability.
Eric Weddle, DB (San Diego): The defensive back from the University of Utah has played extremely well for the Chargers so far this season. Weddle has 3 passes defened and is 2nd on the team in tackles. He has played all of his NFL career with the Chargers and is a leader on this defense. The Chargers have a defense that ranks in the top half of the league in most categories, and Weddle is one of the major reasons behind this performance.
Antonio Gates, TE (San Diego): Gates is playing at a high level again this season. He is the Chargers leader in receiving yards and receiving TD’s through three games. The future Hall of Famer is a matchup nightmare, and the Jaguars have sturggled with covering TE’s this season. Philadelphia, Washington, and Indianapolis have all utilized their TE’s in the passing game against the Jaguars, and all three teams have had success with this strategy. Look for Gates to have a big day on Sunday.
Fantasy Sleeper
I have correctly predicted a solid option for a fantasy sleeper in weeks 1-3. For my selection this week, I will go with Jaguars WR Allen Robinson. The rookie out of Penn State had over 70 yards last week and seemed to be on the same page as QB Blake Bortles. Robinson showed a fearless ability to catch balls over the middle and even out-jump defenders in a “jump ball” senario. I will predict that Robinson will have around 60 yards and 1 TD, which is good for 12 fantasy points in most leagues.
Prediction
This game looks like it could get ugly in the 2nd half. The Chargers are playing great football and have a hot QB in Rivers. NFL teams usually do not perform well when they have travel long distances for games, which puts Jacksonville behind the 8-ball. However, do not count out Bortles and the rest of the Jacksonville youngsters. If they come prepared to play, they can make this an interesting game into the 4th quarter.
My Heart Says: Jaguars 27-Chargers 24 (Bortles wins his first game and is the franchise savior we’ve been looking for!)
My Mind Says: Chargers 35- Jaguars 17.
I’ll go with my mind on this one. Chargers win and the Jaguars fall to 0-4.
This article Jacksonville Jaguars: Game 1 of the Bortles era appeared first on isportsweb by Zachary Chandler