The Jacksonville Jaguars would have surely wanted to leave Lincoln Financial Field with their third win of the 2022 season. However, there’s not much they can do but learn from their mistakes and move on after losing 29-21 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.
On the bright side, the Jags will have a chance to bounce back in Week 5, when they welcome the Houston Texans at TIAA Bank Field. The Texans are currently in the cellar of the league but Jacksonville can’t afford to underestimate them. With this in mind, here are five players that will need to shine in Week 5.
No. 5 Jaguars player who must shine vs. the Texans: Jawaan Taylor, RT
Several Jaguars struggled against the Eagles and right tackle Jawaan Taylor was one of them. The rain certainly had a role in the loss but Philadelphia was playing in the same weather conditions and still managed to win.
Before Week 4, Taylor had given up just one total pressure on 212 pass-blocking snaps. Against the Eagles, he surrendered three, and two of them were sacks. While everyone is entitled to have a bad game, the former Florida Gator must bounce back from what was his worst performance of the year.
Of course, Taylor did win some battles against edge rusher Hasson Reddick but the ones he lost are going to stand out more, especially because they led to turnovers.
Having said that, Taylor has played well this season and he should have no trouble getting back on track when he takes on Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard.
No. 4 Jaguars player who must shine vs. the Texans: Christian Kirk, WR
Christian Kirk has lived up to expectations after signing a top-market contract in free agency. The former Arizona Cardinal logged 18 receptions and three trips to the end zone in the first three games of the season. However, he only managed to catch two passes albeit for 60 yards against the Eagles.
Sure, the ball was sloppy due to the rain and Trevor Lawrence’s accuracy was off but Kirk can’t afford to drop so many passes. Fortunately, it looks like Sunday will be mostly sunny, which will allow the Jaguars’ wide receiver to play well against a Texans’ defense that ranks ninth in the league in passing touchdowns allowed.
No. 3 Jaguars player who must shine vs. the Texans: James Robinson, RB
James Robinson has been a mainstay of the Jags’ offense since signing with them as an undrafted free agency back in 2020. Even though he spent the whole offseason rehabbing a torn Achilles that ended his 2021 season prematurely, he was back for this year’s opener and didn’t miss a beat, at least until Week 4, when head coach Doug Pederson decided to give him a light workload.
Pederson told the media that the Jags didn’t have snaps on offense in Week 4, that’s why they only ran the ball 20 times. If that was the case, there’s no reason why Robinson should get at least 20 carries against a Houston defense that ranks 31st in rushing yards allowed. In fact, heaving doses of Robinson could help Jacksonville wear the Texans down early in the game.
No. 2 Jaguars player who must shine vs. the Texans: Foyesade Oluokun, LB
The Jaguars’ defense did a few things right in Week 4. They shut down the Eagles in the first quarter and safety Andre Cisco returned an interception for a touchdown. Moreover, they made stops at key moments and got the ball back to the offense, even if they didn’t keep it for a long time.
On the other hand, they couldn’t stop the Eagles’ rushing yards and let Miles Sanders and Jalen Hurts run amok. In particular, linebacker Foyesade Oluokun had 14 total tackles but also missed five and finished the game with a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 33.9. He needs to set the tone against Houston.
No. 1 Jaguars player who must shine vs. the Texans: Trevor Lawrence, QB
Let’s get to the elephant in the room, Trevor Lawrence. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft had a historically bad game against the Eagles, fumbling the ball four times, the most since at least 1991. However, it’s highly unlikely that he will ever play as badly as he did in Week 4. He was trending up prior to the contest and there’s no reason to think he will be better because of it.
As head coach Doug Pederson alluded during an exchange with the media, Lawrence likes to work on his mistakes and improve. Furthermore, it doesn’t always rain when the Jaguars play. You could file last week’s debacle under the outlier section of Lawrence’s young NFL career.