Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns: Friday Fact or Fiction
By Daniel Lago
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The Jacksonville Jaguars let a potential victory slip through their fingers in the waning moments of last week’s game versus the Tennessee Titans. Their hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle in
Blake Bortles‘ second home start as they take on the suddenly formidable Cleveland Browns.
Before the season started, many expected the headline for this game to be an exciting rookie quarterback. Very few expected that guy to be Blake Bortles, while Johnny Manziel sits on the bench behind Brian Hoyer. Riding the strength of an effective running game, Hoyer has led the Browns to several impressive performances, including last week’s beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns are playing much better football than the Jaguars right now, but I wouldn’t say they are a significantly more talented team. Anything could happen on Sunday.
With all that in mind, here are my rock solid predictions for this week’s game:
Blake Bortles Will Throw an Interception: FICTION
Blake Bortles has 7 interceptions in 14 quarters of play, which is not a rate you would hope he maintains going forward. While some of his picks were entirely Bortles’ fault – bad decisions or reads – some of Bortles’ interceptions were the fault of the receiver or the circumstance. Bortles threw 2 interceptions trying to come back from an insurmountable deficit against Indianapolis and both of his interceptions against San Diego came when they were trying to come back in the second half. Yes his interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 4th quarter was a backbreaker, but those kinds of mistakes are going to happen with a rookie quarterback. As Luke Sims pointed out, the Jaguars need to Bortles to start playing mistake free football to help make up for all the deficiencies around him. The Browns have only forced 5 turnovers this season, with 4 of those being interceptions. Expect Bortles to have a clean sheet at the end of Sunday’s game.
The Cleveland Browns will Have More than 300 Yards of Total Offense: FICTION
The Cleveland Browns surprisingly have one of the more potent offenses in the NFL, averaging 383 yards per game, good enough for 10th. That’s mostly driven by their 3rd ranked rushing attack, averaging over 146 yards per game. The Jaguars lone defensive bright spot is their ability to defend the run, allowing only 117 yards per game. They’ve improved over the last few weeks, and should continue to improve this Sunday against the Browns. If the Jaguars can frustrate the Browns by limiting their ability to run the ball, the defense should be able to get some pressure on Brian Hoyer.
Cecil Shorts Will Have a Touchdown: FACT
Joe Haden is supposed to be one of the best cornerbacks in the game, but he reportedly hasn’t been the same since being beat by Cecil Shorts for a game winning touchdown last year.
Source: @gifdsports
Cecil Shorts saw a lot of balls thrown his way last week, and that should be a theme going through the season given his experience compared to the rest of the receivers. I expect Shorts to matchup on Haden and get the better of him once again.
The Jaguars feel like they’re very close to putting it all together and having a good, complete performance. Whether or not that amounts to a win against a frisky Browns team remains to be seen, but given my predictions above, I guess I have to pick the Jaguars.
PREDICTION: Jaguars 24 – Browns 16