Jaguars Receive Strong Message Before Raiders Game in Week 9
The Las Vegas Raiders will look to play spoiler against a Jacksonville Jaguars team in the middle of an AFC playoff race. While the Silver and Black aren’t likely to make the playoffs, they can make life difficult for those pushing for the postseason.
Moreover, Las Vegas will look for a bounce-back win after its disastrous 31-0 loss in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Nonetheless, the Jaguars are also looking to rebound as they have lost two straight games.
On the October 31 edition of “NFL Live,” ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes shared what Jacksonville must do against the Raiders in their Week 9 game to snap their losing skid, especially after the news that
“For the Jacksonville Jaguars, obviously, you need the secondary pass catchers to step up,” Kimes said. “I would argue, though, that equally important, they’ve got to get back to running the football the way they did the first few weeks of the season.
“Something I thought Liam Coen did an excellent job of at Tampa Bay was making adjustments in the run game to the personnel he had. This offensive line is not as good as the one he had in Tampa, but he has to find answers.”
Jaguars Star Will Miss Several Weeks
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on October 31 that Hunter suffered a non-contact knee injury during practice the previous day and will be placed on injured reserve.
“He will miss at least four games,” Coen said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We’re currently assessing the injury just to determine the best course of action moving forward for Travis and the team.
“We’re still assessing. We haven’t gotten all of the information. This just kind of got going last night when we got some information. So, we’re still waiting on further information to be able to determine how long it will be.”
He’s played a key role across the board, logging 67 percent of the offensive snaps, 35 percent on defense, and some time on special teams. His standout performance came before Jacksonville’s bye week, when he hauled
“Yeah, it’s definitely not ideal timing — not that any injury is ideal timing,” Coen added. “But
“You just feel bad for the guy, for the kid, for our team, for everything. But he’s in good spirits right now. And a minor setback for a major comeback. That’s just the way it’s got to be.”
Dan Campbell’s brutally honest assessment of Lions should scare rest of NFL
The Detroit Lions have been one of the best teams in the NFL this season. Even after losing both of their coordinators this offseason, Detroit seemingly hasn't lost a step. They come out of their bye week with a 5-2 record, scoring key wins against some of the top contenders in the process.
If the Lions are to be believed, they still aren't playing to their full potential. Head coach Dan Campbell believes that Detroit still has another gear this season. The Lions HC said that they could stand to be better at playing complementary football over the course of the season.
“I really believe we haven't played our best ball yet collectively in all three phases,” Campbell said, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “And that's really what we're trying to get to here is how can we sharpen ourselves. We know it's going to take every phase. Every game's different, and one unit may have to pick up the slack, but we need to start playing complete ball across the board. And just keep improving — like with all these teams that we're in the race with right now. So, that's where we're at.”
The Lions have highlighted four key areas for improvement during their bye week. That includes their third-down efficiency on both sides of the ball. Detroit is ranked 22nd in third-down conversion rate this season with just 37.7%, far below their 47% rate last season. On the other side, they're allowing a similar third-down conversion rate on defense, which is higher than their 32.5% rate last year.
The two other areas that the Lions focused on during the bye week are their red zone defense and Jameson Williams' involvement on offense. While Detroit's defense has been generally solid this season, it's allowing a whopping 63.6% of its opponents' red zone trips to end in a touchdown. On the other hand, Williams has had an up-and-down season thanks in large part to his fluctuating target rate. Detroit's offense is at its best when the threat of Jamo downfield opens up the rest of the offense. Finding ways to get him in space is going to be crucial for this team moving forward.
The Lions open the second half of their season with a matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at home. Will Detroit apply what they've installed during the bye week in their next games?
