The Jacksonville Jaguars are a 2.5-point favorite against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12, and their odds of coming out on top just went up. Like most teams at this point of the regular season, the Cardinals are dealing with injuries. However, some have a bigger impact than others, and it's fair to say that the latest update could turn out to play a meaningful role in the outcome of the interconference matchup.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Arizona has already ruled out wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and running back Emari Demercado. Granted, Zonovan Knight is RB1 on the Cardinals depth chart, but Demercado is a key cog on their offense, averaging 7.8 yards per tote.
On the other hand, Harrison is their second leading receiver, but the Jaguars will still need to account for tight end Trey McBride and wideout Michael Wilson.
Related: Liam Coen presents why Cardinals are a threat even without Kyler Murray
Without Marvin Harrison Jr., the Jaguars must focus on Trey McBride
Michael Wilson can line up inside or outside. If he lines up in the slot, nickel Jarrian Jones will likely be tasked with slowing him down. But if he plays in the boundaries, Montaric Brown will probably be assigned to cover him. Either way, Jacksonville has the personnel to neutralize him. That said, Trey McBride could give them trouble, especially when you take into account that the Jags have struggled to defend tight ends this season.
McBride has quickly established himself as one of the best tight ends in the NFL, hauling in 71 receptions for 718 yards with seven touchdowns in 10 games this season. Head coach Liam Coen most definitely knows that it will be a headache to stop him, pointing out that his versatility presents a matchup problem.
"Yeah, a lot of respect for Trey's extremely versatile, similar in a lot of ways to Brock that way," Coen told the media ahead of Week 11 (0:42 second mark). "And look, you've got to have eyes on him and understand where he is in the formation at all times in terms of, okay, is he attached? Is he in the hip? Is he in the slot? Is he at one?
Coen continued, "Obviously, building a plan around stopping guys like that is mixing up looks, right? He's trying to give different looks and present them, and make sure that maybe you have some areas in the red area, whatever it is, to double them or take away their best player. That's some things that we're looking at."
The Jaguars could have Jarrian Jones line up against McBride, or maybe linebacker Devin Lloyd could shadow him. It's also worth noting that the Jags could be without cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and/or Greg Newsome. Both of them are dealing with injuries, and if they sit out the game, Jacksonville will have limited options to contain McBride.
Ultimately, the Jaguars will have a better matchup on offense with Marvin Harrison Jr. already ruled out. However, they cannot afford to take Trey McBride if they want to build momentum in the second half of the season.