Can Marqise Lee Pull Off 100 Yards?
By Luke Sims
Marqise Lee flashed some potential in last Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He broke free on one pass to scamper 37 yards to the one yard line.
That was an inspiring play for a player who hasn’t seen too many snaps since week two of the season. His 35 snaps last Sunday were the most since his 38 in week two and 66 in week one. Last week he picked up three receptions on five targets (his second best reception percentage this season) and 52 yards (also his second best this season). His 17.3 yards per receptions were his best so far this season in games with at least two receptions (four games total). That 37 yard catch and run was his longest so far as well.
All in all, his play on Sunday was progress.
Hopefully he can progress even more in his second week with significant action since fellow rookie Allen Robinson went down with injury.
If Lee continues to get more looks and is on the field for more snaps, then only good things can come. He doesn’t have a drop credited to him so far this season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and there has been just one interception when throwing his way. That adds up to Lee being a pretty safe target for the mistake-prone passing offense of the Jaguars.
If Lee can keep his yards per reception up and if he continues to become a reliable target for Blake Bortles, then Lee should be able to eclipse 100 yards receiving for the Jaguars at least once over the final five games. Hopefully, he’ll be able to do it multiple times, but I’ll settle for at least one at this point.
Lee needs to make sure he can get big plays when he can, though. He showed on Sunday he is willing to play for a little extra after getting the ball in his hands. In fact, Lee’s 5.3 average yards after the catch put him at 33rd of 113 receivers who have played at least 25% of snaps. as he gets more targets I actually expect that number to go up as Lee has more opportunities to make plays.
It’s exciting to see so many young players get opportunities on the Jaguars’ offense. Lee is one that many of us have high hopes for and it looks like he may be able to deliver. A 100 yard performance would go a long way to cementing that in many people’s minds.