Every game in the NFL is important, but the Jacksonville Jaguars will be playing a crucial one against the Detroit Lions in Week 11. Winning would keep their playoff hopes alive while losing could bring their season to an end.
Complicating the issue is that Trevor Lawrence is out with a shoulder injury and Mac Jones will start at quarterback for the Jaguars. Currently, the Jags are a 13-point underdog, so it's fair to say that they have a steep hill to climb.
The Lions are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and just proved in Week 10 how tough they are, overcoming a five-interception performance from Jared Goff to beat the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, Jacksonville is coming off three consecutive losses. All of them against potential playoff teams, but losses, nonetheless.
Heading into the bout, head coach Doug Pederson talked about the importance of limiting mistakes and forcing turnovers to have a shot at winning the game.
"They're obviously very opportunistic when it comes to the takeaways, and they got an explosive offense, so those two are dangerous combinations," Pederson told the local media Friday. "We've got to make sure that we don't turn the ball over and then we've got to try to create some takeaways. If you can, it helps. It's just one more possession that they don't have and we get, so that's got to be a point of emphasis a little bit this week.
Working in their favor is that their defense registered three turnovers in Week 10. The Jags had trouble stopping opponents in previous games but they came through against the Vikings, preventing them from reaching the end zone and forcing three turnovers.
Maybe the defense is hitting its stride. If that's the case, players deserve praise for continuing to put in the work despite not being able to win games. Their effort has certainly not gone unnoticed by Pederson.
"That's a tough thing in the sports world today, in general, across all sporting events and sporting teams. I mean, teams that go through slumps or defeats and things like that, it's sometimes, it is hard. They feel defeated, right? Whatever team they're on, they feel defeated," Pederson said.
"And I've been on as a player, I've been on teams where it has once it goes sour, it just continues to go that way, and it's like, okay, 'let's get ready for the offseason,' But I tell you what, this team, you don't see that with this team."
"I think it's a credit to the leadership of this group. They're pulling the young guys along, and, and you're seeing better practices, better performances, studying their game plan. You're seeing all that kind of stuff still today, which is a credit. It's just a big-time credit to the guys in the locker room. You have to have that. In order to pull yourself out of this, you have to have that type of leadership and a close group, even when you're not getting the results you want."
With that in mind, here's how you can watch the Jaguars play Detroit in Week 11.
Jaguars vs. Lions TV channel for Week 11:
You can watch the game locally on CBS Sports. Here's the full coverage map, but if you're outside the Jacksonville area, you'll need to stream the game. NFL+ is one option. It requires a subscription but it gives you access to NFL RedZone, the NFL Network, and replays depending on the plan that you choose. Packages start at $6.99.
An alternative is fuboTV. All you need to get started is an internet connection to watch the game from your laptop, computer, or cellphone. Click here for your free seven-day trial.
Jaguars vs. Lions announcers for Week 11:
Kevin Harlan will be the play-by-play announcer on the TV broadcast, and Trent Green will provide live analysis. Melanie Collins will handle sideline duty.
Fran Frankie, Jeff Lageman, and Tony Boselli will be the radio announcers. Bucky Brooks will report from the sidelines.
Jaguars vs. Lions recent outcomes
The last time the Jaguars faced off against the Lions was in 2022. They lost, but they would go on to win their next five games and make the playoffs. This time though, Jacksonville enters the game with a 1.5 percent probability of qualifying.
All time, the Lions lead the series 5-3.