The Jacksonville Jaguars proved in Week 4 that their defense can stymie high-octane offenses when they limited Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals to just 17 points. Following their gritty win over Cincy, the Jaguars will face the Philadelphia Eagles in London.
While the Jacksonville defense is more than capable of putting away the Eagles on its own, the DeVonta Smith injury update would be a welcome surprise.
The Jaguars may not have to deal with DeVonta Smith when they play the Eagles
After the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots in the offseason, DeVonta Smith became their unquestioned No. 1 option in their passing game. A first-round selection in 2021, the former Alabama standout is one of the best receivers in the league, having posted three 1,000-yard seasons the past five years.
However, Smith is currently dealing with a hamstring injury that makes him "at the very best" questionable for Week 5, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Media.
In fact, Smith just sat out the Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, so even if he's available against the Jaguars, he may not be at full strength.
Smith's absence wouldn't be an issue if Philadelphia had other viable targets in the passing game outside of Dontayvion Wicks, but rookie Makai Lemon has left much to be desired thus far. Compounding the issue is that tight end Dallas Goedert is currently on the Injury Reserve list, so Philly will be shorthanded when it plays the Jags.
But wait, there's more! Quarterback Jalen Hurts isn't getting much help, but he's failed to elevate the rest of the offense. When you add it all up, the Jaguars couldn't be facing Philly at a better time this season.
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The Jaguars defense can feast on the Eagles without DeVonta Smith
While the Eagles are a train wreck and 2-2 following the loss to the Rams, the Jaguars are getting hot at the right time, having beaten two playoff contenders in back-to-back weeks. Rightly, they're the 5.5-point favorite against Philly. One big reason is that Jacksonville has the best defense in the NFL right now.
The Jags have yet to give up a touchdown in the first half of a game this season, and they've surrendered just 53 points in four games. If that wasn't enough, Jacksonville ranks second in the league in takeaways with 14.
Granted, the Jaguars can't just start celebrating now. They need to show up at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and deliver. Heck, they will have their work cut out for them. The Jags had a concerning amount of penalties against Cincinnati and will need to fix the issue if they don't want it to come back to haunt them.
Having said that, Jacksonville should feel good about its chances against the Eagles, especially if DeVonta Smith doesn't suit up.
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