It wasn't long ago that the biggest storyline surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars was whether they would trade wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. But since Liam Coen shut down the speculation, the Jags have made headlines for a different reason: Travis Hunter landed on the Injured Reserve after suffering a non-contact injury in practice.
The silver lining is that Hunter's ACL appears to be intact, but not having him for at least four weeks is a big blow for Jacksonville, especially when you take into account that he just had his breakout game at receiver. Having said that, the show must go on, and the coaching staff will have to find ways to overcome his absence.
On offense, head coach Liam Coen is confident Dyami Brown and Parker Washington are ready to step up.
"I mean, I don't know if it's anyone necessarily specific, right? It's the whole crew," Coen told the local media Friday when asked how the team plans to replace Hunter on offense (0:43 mark). "Go out and let's go perform, right? We go back to training camp, days that Travis was on defense, and it was Dyami and Parker rolling at the receiver positions, and did some really good things."
Coen continued, "So have a lot of confidence in these guys that it's a great opportunity for all of us to work through a little adversity and the guys to go out and perform at a high level."
"True to his word, the team's brass signed wide receiver Austin Tremmell to the active roster, and there's a chance Tim Jones could be promoted via standard elevation ahead of game day. On the other hand, Coen says the Jaguars have enough depth at corner even without Hunter. Here's the skinny.
"We were heavy at corner in terms of how many we carried during the game. So really, it's not going to affect that much in terms of a number standpoint at corner. We're good there in terms of the numbers. Now receiver position, we'll elevate a couple guys this week in terms of getting back ready to play. Have a backup F and be able to supplement. Some of those guys," Coen said (1:49 mark).
Ultimately, the Jaguars will have to show up in Week 9 and find a way to trounce the Raiders in spite of the many injuries they're dealing with. And with this in mind, here are three storylines to keep an eye on.
Will Greg Newsome step up for the Jaguars?
With Travis Hunter out for the foreseeable future, Greg Newsome will need to come through at corner. The 2021 first-round pick landed in Jacksonville via trade before Week 6. He struggled in his first game and had limited playing time against the Los Angeles Rams.
Now, Newsome finds himself starting opposite Montaric Brown in Week 9. He's had more time to get acclimated, so the expectation is that he'll hit his stride against the Raiders.
The Jaguars also need Brian Thomas Jr. to put it all together
In spite of his struggles, the Jaguars have stood behind Brian Thomas Jr. Liam Coen, in particular, is optimistic that the former LSU Tiger will once again play at a high level like he did as a rookie.
Sure, Jacksonville is also counting on Parker Washington and Dyami Brown to step up, but neither is as talented as Thomas. If he does get back on track, the Jaguars passing game should be in great shape against Las Vegas and the remainder of the season.
Did the Jaguars really fix their penalty issue?
The Jaguars lead the league in penalties, so they rightly tried to fix the issue during the BYE. On paper, that sounds great, but they won't truly have the chance to see if they truly improved until game day.
And that's the thing, penalties have held back the offense, killed drives, and even nullified a return for a touchdown. Simply put, Jacksonville hasn't been able to get out of its own way.
And unless the Jaguars truly fix their penalty woes, they'll continue to struggle against the Raiders.