Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Chargers: Key matchup, x-factor, and prediction
By Billy Long
Riding a two game win streak, and continuing to climb the standings, the Jacksonville Jaguars get Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are at home again in week ten to take on a familiar out-of-division opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers. The teams will be meeting for the fifth straight year, and seven out of the last eight seasons.
The matchup has not been a good one for Jacksonville, as they have not beaten the Chargers since 2007. With so much up for grabs for the Jaguars this season, the team must buck the trend and take of business on Sunday.
The Jaguars are sitting at 5-3, coming off back-to-back statement wins over the Colts and Bengals, which currently has them in the first wild-card spot in the AFC. But Jacksonville has bigger goals, as a division title and home playoff game is well within reach.
The Chargers enter the game 3-5, but have won three of their last four after a 0-4 start to the season, and would love to put a dent in the Jaguars’ playoff hopes.
A preview of the week ten game:
Key Matchup:
Jaguars offensive line vs. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram
A crucial fight in Sunday’s game will be the battle in the trenches. Chargers defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram come to town, each having 8.5 sacks this season. Keeping their names unheard as much as possible will be a necessity.
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The Jaguars offensive line has been a major surprise, and a bright spot on the offense, giving up just 11 sacks and blocking for the number one rushing attack in the league. But there are question marks as to how healthy the line will be on Sunday, as key members appear on the injury report.
Regardless of who plays and gets the reps against the Chargers, the offensive line must be prepared for the challenge of keeping Bosa and Ingram away from Blake Bortles, and making sure he has a clean pocket and stays on his feet as they have done so consistently the entire season thus far.
The Jaguars have had a resurgence on offense this season. The offensive line has had no small part in that awakening, and the big men up front will once again play a key part in whether Jacksonville wins or loses on Sunday.
X-Factor:
LB Myles Jack
Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Myles Jack surprisingly had just one tackle. This week against the Chargers, expect Jack to bounce back and be heavily involved on defense, and make a much more significant impact.
With Jacksonville’s suffocating pass defense, Los Angeles is going to want to run the ball often with Melvin Gordon, who is averaging four yards a carry this season. On Sunday, Myles Jack will be up for the challenge- recording multiple tackles, and preventing Gordon from having an impact on the game, forcing Rivers to throw the ball and unleashing the Jaguars’ vaunted pass rushers.
On a defense full of stars, Myles Jack will have one of his best performances this week against the Chargers.
Prediction:
Philip Rivers has been a nightmare for the Jaguars, with a current six-game win streak against Jacksonville. But Rivers hasn’t had to face this nasty of a Jaguars defense before.
The defense will be ready, as always, and feeding off the home crowd provides an extra spark as the Jaguars keep Rivers and the Chargers offense from finding much of a rhythm.
On offense, a fresh Leonard Fournette against a Chargers defense giving up 135 yards a game on the ground is bad combination for Los Angeles. Fournette’s return yields big results, and Blake Bortles continues to make the plays asked of him. The Jaguars control the time of possession again, and have a solid offensive effort on former Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley’s Chargers defense.
Los Angeles stays within reach throughout, but Jacksonville exacts some much needed revenge on Philip Rivers and the Chargers, and the Jaguars get win number six, and three in a row, as they continue to keep the heat on the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South.