Green Bay Packers v. Jaguars: Behind Enemy Lines Week 10

In this week’s edition of ‘Behind Enemy Lines,’ we take an inside look at the Green Bay Packers Week 10 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It’s Week 10 of the NFL season, and at Lambeau Field this Sunday, I’m not sure that you could find two teams that are trending in opposite directions more than what the Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars are. At 6-2, the Packers are one of the top teams in the NFC and a legit Super Bowl contender. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have lost seven straight games and are hoping to land Trevor Lawrence in the upcoming draft.

In this week’s edition of “Behind Enemy Lines,” I had the pleasure of chatting with Carlos Sanchez, the site editor over at Black and Teal, where they cover anything and everything about the Jacksonville Jaguars.

To help familiarize ourselves with this uncommon opponent, Carlos was kind enough to answer five of my questions about the Jaguars, and I, of course, answered five of his about the Packers. So be sure to check that out over on their site as well.

1. Jake Luton will be starting at QB on Sunday, just his second career start; tell us a little bit about him.

Carlos: Jake Luton just made his first career start against the Houston Texans in Week 9. Nobody knew what to expect; even head coach Doug Marrone said he wasn’t sure how the rookie was going to perform. Even though the Jaguars lost, Luton kept them in the game until the very last second. Also, he showed his arm and averaged 8.0 yards per attempt, a full yard more than Gardner Minshew’s 2020 average.

Takeaway: Jake Luton is a rookie, drafted in the sixth round out of Oregon State in this year’s draft. Against Houston, Luton was very efficient, completing 68.4 percent of his passes on 38 attempts for 304 yards with one touchdown and one interception.  For this Green Bay Packers’ defense, as is oftentimes the case, pressuring the young quarterback will be key, and chances are it’ll lead to a mistake or two.

2. What is the strength and also the weakness of this Jaguars team?

Carlos: The strength of this Jacksonville team is their offense. Rookie James Robinson is among the best running backs in the league, and if he doesn’t have better numbers, it’s because the Jaguars fall behind early and abandon the run in an effort to try to catch up.

The defense is the team’s weak link. They have a few exciting players such as linebacker Myles Jack and a dominant defensive tackle duo in DaVon Hamilton and Doug Costin, but they are not enough, and Jacksonville will be without Costin this week. The Jaguars simply don’t have enough defensive talent, and the unit has allowed at least 30 points in six of their eight games.

Takeaway: James Robinson has been used extensively this season, already totaling 132 rushing attempts, the sixth most in football, while posting 580 rushing yards, which is also the sixth most among running backs this season. With a young quarterback under center, we should expect to see plenty of Robinson on Sunday, who is coming off a career-high 25 carries in Houston.

As Carlos pointed out, this Jaguars defense gives up a lot of points. No matter which major defensive stat you look at, odds are that Jacksonville is either last or close to it. the 30.9 points per game that they allow is the second-most in football, and by Football Outsider’s DVOA metric, the Jaguars rank 32nd.

3. Who is a player or two that Packer fans may not be as familiar with but could make an impact on Sunday?

Carlos: James Robinson should get more national attention too, the fact the Jaguars aren’t winning doesn’t help his case, but the undrafted free agent is one of the team’s most exciting players and is currently sixth in the NFL with 580 yards and his five rushing touchdowns are tied for seventh. DaVon Hamilton is another; he is steadily becoming a force at the line of scrimmage.

Takeaway: As has already been mentioned, Robinson has been very good this season, and he can certainly cause problems for this Green Bay Packers’ run defense that has allowed 4.55 yards per carry this season. At defensive tackle, Hamilton has recorded 10 pressures in 2020, one of which was a sack, along with 14 tackles and seven run stops, according to Pro Football Focus ($).

4. The Jaguars are heavy underdogs, but if they’re going to pull off the upset, what does that path to victory look like?

Carlos: No team should go into a game thinking that they’re going to lose, but it’s going to be extremely difficult for the Jaguars to pull an offset. If Jake Luton plays the way he did against the Texans, he will give the ‘Jags’ a chance to win. The defense also has to do their part, make a few key stops, and force a couple of turnovers.

Takeaway: No NFL team should be taken lightly, but it feels like it would take a perfect storm for Jacksonville to win. Pressuring Aaron Rodgers is a must, as is forcing turnovers. Meanwhile, behind James Robinson, the Jaguar offense will have to put together several long sustaining drives that keep Rodgers and company off the field. It’s a tall task for the Jaguars, but the same principals to pulling off an upset apply, which is pressure, turnovers, and winning the time of possession battle.

5. What is your prediction for Sunday’s matchup?

Carlos: It’s going to be close early, and the Jaguars should be able to score 20 points, but the Green Bay Packers are winning the game 33-20.

Takeaway: As we always do at Dairyland Express, we will have our predictions article out this weekend before the game, so I’m not going to go into much detail here. But, the Packers should win easily.