Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 9 stock up

Nov 8, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) tackles Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon (24) during the first quarter of the NFL game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

T.J. Yeldon, running back, Jacksonville Jaguars

I disagree with a lot of the assessment that T.J. Yeldon had a bad game on Sunday. Yes, he had just 19 yards on 13 carries when you don’t count his 45-yard run.

More from Black and Teal

• Jaguars News: Don’t expect them to be pursuing free agents
• Jacksonville Jaguars unlikely to pursue Carson Wentz despite Doug Pederson connection
• Jaguars RB Travis Etienne expected to have bigger impact in 2023
• 5 bonafide stars from the Jacksonville Jaguars 2022 season
• Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t heard any Calvin Ridley news from the NFL

But that was against a New York Jets defense that has been downright stellar against the run this season. The fact that

he was still able to break out a 45-yarder late in the game

against a defense that just decimates opposing running backs is a testament to how good Yeldon is.

We’d all like to see a running back who can gain big chunks of yards no matter who the defense is, but the Jaguars simply aren’t there yet.

The fact of the matter is that the Jaguars O-Line was struggling to even stand up against the Jets D-Line and Yeldon as getting hit over and over in the backfield. Pro Football Focus assessed that all 19 of his yards outside of that 45-yarder came after contact. That means hard running and more than difficult circumstances to start running from.

Yeldon needs to improve in pass protection and ideally he won’t be facing a defense that has allowed less than 60 yards rushing in three games. There’s room to grow, but the rookie continues to impress.

Next: A glimpse at a defensive star