After showing promise early in the 2022 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have come crashing down and have lost four games in a row. Rightfully, fans are growing weary, tired of false promises and hope. They want to see results after having been reassured for more than ten years that the Jags are close to turning the corner.
On the bright side, the Jaguars currently have the most talent they had in a while and a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Doug Pederson. Sure, Jacksonville can no longer talk about potential or upside but they have the chance to change the narrative and they can do it as soon as Week 8 when they’ll travel to London to face off against the Denver Broncos.
While it won’t be an easy game (most aren’t), the Jaguars are favored to win. With this in mind, here are five reasonable predictions for Week 8 at Wembley Stadium.
5. Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd will snag an interception vs. the Broncos
As recently as Week 3, linebacker Devin Lloyd was
the frontrunner for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award
. However, his candidacy has cooled down a bit since then. He did have an interception against the New York Giants in Week 7 but it was called back by a roughing the passer call in the same play.
Lloyd will have the chance to get back in the thick of the DPOY discussion with a solid outing against the Broncos, which is precisely what he will do when he registers his third pick of the 2022 season.
4. CB Tre Herndon will also log an interception for the Jaguars in Week 8
Linebacker Devin Lloyd won’t be the only Jaguar that will pick Russell Wilson. Tre Herndon, who will start in relief of Shaquill Griffin, will also register an interception. An undrafted free agent in 2018, Herndon was one of Jacksonville’s starting cornerbacks in 2019 and 2020 but his role has decreased considerably after suffering an MCL injury before the start of the 2021 season.
Herndon wasn’t fully healthy last year but he’s now 100 percent and has played when given the chance. Sure, he surrounded a touchdown to New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton in Week 7 but has held his own more often than not when called upon. The Vanderbilt product hasn’t logged an interception since 2019 but he’ll have one against Denver, showing he’s more than an adequate replacement for Griffin.
3. Jaguars WR Christian Kirk will score 2 TDs vs. the Broncos
Wide receiver Christian Kirk was off to a strong start this season, catching 18 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. While he’s still the No. 1 target in the Jaguars’ offense, their matchups in recent weeks have forced Trevor Lawrence to look for other receivers.
Against New York, Kirk hauled in seven receptions for 96 and came up one yard short of winning the game. The former Texans A&M Auggie may or may not go over 1,000 receiving yards this season but he’s going to go over 100 yards with two touchdowns in London.
2. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence will have 3 passing TDs vs. the Broncos
It’s easy to forget it with all the losing the Jaguars have experienced in recent weeks but their top priority this season is to make sure Trevor Lawrence makes strides and shows he’s a franchise quarterback. After a rough two-week stretch, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft has rebounded with a couple of productive outings.
Moving forward, Lawrence must keep showing growth and there’s a good chance he might be the best quarterback in the AFC South by the end of the season. Against the Broncos, he will need to put up solid numbers, which might be difficult to pull off when you take into account that they have the best defense against the pass in the whole league.
Having said that, Lawrence will take another step in the right direction and will throw for three touchdowns against Denver, the second time he’ll achieve the feat this season.
1. Jaguars RB Travis Etienne will go over 100 rushing yards in London
Running back Travis Etienne is the man of the hour in Jacksonville. Sure, it was possible only after the Jags traded James Robinson to the New York Jets but it’s also worth pointing out that his workload had increased in recent weeks, so even if general manager Trent Baalke hadn’t sent Robinson packing, Etienne would have still seen an uptick in playing time.
Over the last four weeks, Etienne has toted the rock 28 times for 189 rushing yards and one touchdown. While the Broncos have a pretty stout defense, the coaching staff will feed the sophomore running back.
Even if they don’t have much success at first, Denver’s front seven will get tired, which will result in a couple of big runs by Etienne.