Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears: Friday Fact or Fiction
By Daniel Lago
Allen Robinson will score a touchdown: FICTION
Allen Robinson had 10 targets last week against the Colts (the most on the team), and his 41 targets for the year leads the team by a significant margin (no one else has more than 27 targets). Blake Bortles is clearly favoring the Pro Bowl receiver with good reason. Despite all the targets, Robinson’s production has been somewhat meager compared to his 2015 output. Teams are keeping their best cornerback on ARob or rolling coverage over to make sure the star pass catcher isn’t left alone against lesser corners.
The Bears don’t have anyone resembling a shutdown defensive back, so Robinson should have a solid day right? Maybe, but I think John Fox and Vic Fangio will scheme up some coverage to double Robinson as often as possible. This means Bortles is going to have to look for other receivers, shifting some of the opportunities away from ARob. With that in mind, I expect a modest day for the Jaguars’ best receiver.
Next: 5 questions with Bear Goggles On
The Jaguars need to win this game if they want to give fans any hope for the rest of the year. 2-3 isn’t stellar but it’s a far cry better than 1-4 with a home game against Jack del Rio and the Oakland Raiders on the horizon.
Some teams thrive on the desperation, but I’ve seen nothing over the course of Gus Bradley’s tenure to expect this team to win a road game when they really need it. I don’t know how the Jaguars are going to blow this one, but I think they will until they show me they won’t. Put together a winning streak and I’ll start believing. Until then…
PREDICTION: Jaguars 20 – Bears 27