Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Giants Pregame Prescription
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars vs New York Giants will kick off on Sunday and, shockingly, the Jaguars find themselves facing an opponent who has been on a longer skid than them. The Giants have lost six in a row after starting the season 3-2, rattling off three straight wins before their disastrous skid.
For the four-loss streaking Jaguars, this may be just what the doctor ordered!
So, what do I prescribe to get the Jaguars a win on Sunday? Involving the wide receivers more.
Last week against the Indianapolis Colts, the only wide receiver with more than one reception was Marqise Lee with three. Running backs Denard Robinson, Toby Gerhart, and even Jordan Todman caught more balls than the other Jags receivers.
This is unacceptable for an offense that is struggling to find its feet.
There are big play weapons in the wide receiving corps for the Jaguars. Allen Hurns and Cecil Shorts III have both proven they can take any reception for a big gain. Marqise Lee may have shown that he can be as dependable as the injured Allen Robinson. Among those three receivers, you have a pretty strong corps that can get involved with quarterback Blake Bortles. He’s been working with most of them since the preseason after all.
But last week, either by design or by choice on the field, the receivers just weren’t getting the looks that the offense needed to be multi-dimensional and move the defense off the line of scrimmage.
As a result, the Jags put up the fewest points of the season: three.
It’s time for a pick-me-up in the passing game. Getting the receivers more involved will help the Jaguars move the ball, stretch the field, and keep the offensive attack balanced, forcing the Giants defense on its heels.
After seeing last week’s horrendous performance, I prescribe at least 10 receptions from wide receivers against New York. That’s just double what they managed last week and it would be a major step in the right direction. That may mean 15-20 targets toward wide receivers in the game, about half or more of Blake Bortles’ average attempts per game.