Jacksonville Jaguars vs Green Bay Packers: 5 players to watch
By Luke Sims
1) Roy Miller III, defensive tackle
If the Jacksonville Jaguars hope to have a chance against the Green Bay Packers, they need to stop Eddie Lacy from making the offense a multi-dimensional threat. Lacy makes the Packers offense considerably more potent than the already-impressive passing game led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Erik Lambert over at NFL Mocks predicts Lacy will score five touchdowns against the Jags. While this bold prediction is outlandish, it’s certainly one that is concerning for Jags fans. After all, the defense hasn’t looked particularly impressive in recent years.
One player who has looked impressive, however, is defensive tackle Roy Miller. The guy has been an absolute rock in the middle of the defense. He’s been the run-stuffing presence needed on a defensive line that is still searching for the right combination of players.
Miller will be joined by newly acquired Malik Jackson at three-technique and should combine with him to keep Lacy bottled up. No player will be as important in his endeavor as Miller. Behind him, the Jags don’t really have a quality run-stuffer. Former starter Sen’Derrick Marks figures to be a key DT rotation man but, like Jackson, tends to be a pocket-collapsing DT rather than a run-stuffer.
How Miller reacts to the Packers’ rushing attack will be critical to keeping this game competitive. Without Miller’s dominance in the middle of the defensive line the Jags may find themselves contending with both Rodgers and an near-unstoppable Eddie Lacy.
Next: The new corner faces a stiff test