Secondary a primary issue for the Jacksonville Jaguars
By David Levin
With the announcement that cornerback A.J. Bouye will not play against the Philadelphia Eagles in London, the Jacksonville Jaguars secondary is facing an even tougher challenge on Sunday.
It appears the injury bug has no preference as to which side of the football to strike with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the offense still reeling from the loss of multiple players this season, it is now the defensive side of the ball the franchise must be concerned about, especially the secondary.
The news out of North Florida is A.J. Bouye, the Pro Bowl cornerback for the Jaguars, did not make the trip across the pond and will not play on Sunday because of a calf injury. The loss of Bouye is a big one in the Jaguars secondary and adds yet another name to a list of veterans who have been lost for at least one game this season.
Ian Rapaport of NFL.com posted on his Twitter account that neither Bouye did not board the plan with the team on Thursday.
The Jaguars secondary suffered another blow when it was revealed cornerback Tyler Patmon would not make the trip as well because of a neck injury. The two losses on the back end mean rookies Quenton Meeks and Tre’ Herndon figure to get plenty of playing time on Sunday. It also means rookie third-round draft pick Ronnie Harrison should see more time on the field as well.
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Jacksonville’s other cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, had been dealing with a knee injury earlier in the season.
This is the first weekend of the season where a starter on the defensive side of the ball will miss time. The Jaguars have dealt with losing two tight ends, two left tackles, a wide receiver, and a backup running back this season. The results have been a stagnant offense that has failed to score in the first half of the previous three contests – all losses.
Even if Bouye had been on the field, the Eagles offense presents a challenge for this defense. Todd Wash, Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator said on Thursday when he met with the media this is an opportunity for this unit to correct issues on the field and to erase the previous three weeks where opponents have scored a combined 90 points.
"“Their offense is very explosive,” Wash said. “[Eagles head coach] Doug Pederson does a great job of getting you in a lot of getting you in a lot of run-pass binds and RPOs.”"
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The Jaguars still have their veteran starting safeties on the field in Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson. Jacksonville will have to deal with quarterback Carson Wentz and his ability to extend plays, something this secondary and defense has had trouble with the last three games.