San Diego Chargers vs Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 keys

Sep 28, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) drops back to pass during the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars enter week 12 coming off back to back wins for the first time since 2013 and they are only 1 game back from the division lead in the AFC South. Jacksonville squared off against Tennessee in their last contest and barely squeaked out a victory, defeating the Titans 19-13. Jacksonville struggled to get into the end zone all game but a huge punt return by Rashad Greene late in the fourth quarter helped give Jacksonville their fourth victory of the year.

Despite that the Jaguars offense really struggled to move the ball consistently the defense had a much better performance. The Jacksonville defense only surrendered 13 points, they sacked Marcus Mariota four times and they were able to force a fumble late in the game as well. Last weeks victory certainly wasn’t a pretty one but the Jaguars did what they needed to do to keep their season alive.

Moving on to this weeks matchup against the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville will look to win their third straight victory in a game that they are favored in. The Chargers rush defense has struggled all season long and thats a big reason why they come into this contest with only two wins. San Diego has given up the eight most rushing yards so far this season, allowing 125.9 yards on the ground per game. Their pass defense has been a bit more solid allowing 247.5 passing yards per game which is the 16th most in the NFL.  Running the ball has been the clear kryptonite to the Chargers defense and that leads perfectly into my first key to the game.

1. Establish the run

Nov 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon (24) carries the ball against the Tennessee Titans during an NFL football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Jaguars have been trying to consistently establish their rushing attack all season long and today’s matchup should be no different. T.J. Yeldon has been solid all season, he still has the second most rushing yards among all rookies behind Todd Gurely and he has shown flashes of his elusiveness in every game. Yeldon registered 82 total yards in last weeks victory but that number could of been higher if he wasn’t splitting carries with Denard Robinson. I do believe adding Robinson to the mix could be positive for the Jaguars offense but T.J. Yeldon should receive at least 20 carries in this game. Both times T.J. Yeldon had 100 rushing yards this season he received 20 or more carries and the Jaguars are 2-1 when Yeldon gets 20 or more carries.

Feeding T.J. Yeldon should be a no brainer in this game and establishing the ground attack could open up big plays down the field in the passing game as well. I fully expect Denard Robinson to get some opportunities in this contest (hopefully not in goal line situations) but if T.J. Yeldon touches the ball at least 20 times then the Jaguars should have a solid chance at pushing their winning streak to three games.

Next: Pressure Phillip Rivers