Things down at TIAA Bank continue to revolve around a football team with a losing record and now a rookie quarterback who faces an division rival on Sunday.
I’m sure this is not how Jake Luton pictured his first NFL start would look like while the Houston Texans, another AFC South basement dweller, comes into town on Sunday.
“Unfortunately, it’s not going to be easy for a rookie,” offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said via Jaguars.com, adding: “If there’s a positive, we get to look at a young quarterback with a lot of talent. That’s what we see in Jake. The only way you’re going to see and find out is if you throw him out there and let him play. Let’s let him play and see how he handles the adversity; see how he handles the negative plays as well as the positive plays – and let’s see him throw the ball.”
Everyone wants to see him throw a football. A spiral with accuracy. A rhythm with his wide receivers and a fluid motion that leads the Jaguars offense down the field consistently. Luton, who replaces the injured Gardner Minshew for this week – or more – has become the most important player on the roster without taking a professional snap under center.
And on Sunday, we all get to see if he can go what Minshew has done once this season – secure a Jaguars win.
If that is to happen, the Jaguars must do these things at home.
Keep Things Simple
The last thing Gruden should do is come up with a complex game plan with a rookie quarterback under center. The unit belongs to Luton for now. How he preforms will determine how long he continues to lead this team.
The Jaguars are 20th in passing in the NFL (246.4 yards a game) and 30th in rushing the football (96.6 yards a game). But look for Luton to lean on rookie sensation James Robinson to play a bigger role in the offense this week.
It would be something if Luton, Robinson and Laviska Shenault lit up the scoreboard after the bye week.
Gruden told the local media in his weekly presser he wants to make things easy on Luton, who faces the Texans defense, a unit that loves to face the Jaguars. If the rookie is efficient on first and second down, then this could be a better game than the first one the two teams played in Week 5, a 30-14 loss by the Jaguars.
Get to the Quarterback
Josh Allen has not been the second-year star we expected. Injuries and exposure have been a major reason for his play this year. He had Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue on the field with him last season, which helped the former Kentucky star slip through in pass rushing situations to get sacks.
The Jaguars also need better play out of rookie K’Lavon Chaisson. He has underperformed so far this season. This also could be a game where Dawuane Smoot has another big game.
Jacksonville’s ability to keep quarterback Deshaun Watson in the pocket and limited will be a telling factor in the final score. Houston’s offense hasn’t scared anyone, but leave it to the Jaguars, a defense that has made offenses look better than they truly are.
A few sacks on Sunday would help close off Watson’s potentially big afternoon.
Run the Damn Ball
James Robinson is one of the better running backs in the league this season. He is also one of the better pass catchers out of the backfield. Let him do his thing this Sunday.
Having a rookie under center puts more pressure on the other 10 starters on offense. Robinson has shown he needs small spaces to create big plays. Will Gruden design more running plays or play action to take advantage of Robinson’s skill set?
Also, what will Gruden do on third down and long? How will he utilize the running game if the score gets out of hand and he has to resort to throwing the football? The Jaguars have proven they can play from behind, but that was with Gardner Minshew under center.
This is a different situation.
