Jaguars vs. Panthers: Pressure Bryce Young, other keys to victory in Week 17

2. CJ Beathard must trust his playmakers, avoid crucial mistakes

You could make the case that Trevor Lawrence was turning the ball over at a high rate in recent weeks because he was trying to make up for the offense's shortcomings. At times, it seemed like he was looking for the big play instead of the safe one. C.J. Beathard will probably take a more conservative approach.

While there's a dropoff from Lawrence to Beathard, the latter has shown he's got a good arm. When he took over against the Cincinnati Bengals, he threw a deep pass to wide receiver Calvin Ridley that would've put the Jags within scoring distance had Anton Harrison not been flagged for offsides.

Similarly, Beathard showed he could make enough plays to keep the team afloat. And that's the thing. The former Iowa Hawkeye doesn't have to put Jacksonville on his shoulders. He needs to get the ball to his playmakers and let them do the rest. Zay Jones is listed as questionable but the Jags have a pair of reliable weapons in Calvin Ridley and tight end Evan Engram.

Also, rookie Elijah Cooks showed some juice in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Surprisingly, they stopped targeting in the second half. It would be a good idea to get him and fellow first-year receiver Parker Washington involved. The point is that the Jaguars may not be at full strength against the Panthers but they have enough weapons on offense to end the losing skid.