How Losing Key Players Has Made Jacksonville Adapt
On paper, the Jacksonville Jaguars seem to be having a successful season, sitting at 7-4 and inside the playoff picture entering the latter half of the season. However, it has not been easy for the Jags to get to this point. The roster is riddled with injuries on both sides of the ball, causing issues in playmaking that have caused games to be much closer than they were expected to be. The injury train is not letting up either, with key defensive player Travon Walker continuing to miss games from a knee injury against the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Liam Coen and these Jaguars have had to adjust to the large number of injuries affecting their roster and have succeeded while also having struggles through the battle.
Yes, the Jaguars are winning games. They currently sit second in their division and the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture. They are scoring points, sitting 12th in the league for points scored per game with an average of 24.3 points. However, their offense has still struggled. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been extremely inconsistent, with an increase in interceptions and fumbles in recent weeks. The offense also lost multiple key weapons to injuries, such as tight end Brenton Strange, two-way athlete Travis Hunter, and wideout Brian Thomas Jr. Other players have stepped up in their roles through these injuries, such as veteran Parker Washington and the running back room, with Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie Bhayshul Tuten having solid seasons.
The defense is in a similar predicament. Yes, key players have been hurt, like veteran Travon Walker and cornerback Jourdan Lewis. However, the defense continues to win for Jacksonville. In the absence of Lewis, the secondary has stepped up to fill that hole with Jarrian Jones and Christian Braswell making critical plays for that Duval defense. If anything, the injuries in Jacksonville have proved that general manager James Gladstone has built this roster on depth, and that depth has stepped up and performed to put this team in a winning position for a potential playoff push. Is this sustainable? Well, so far, yes. Will this win Jacksonville's playoff games? That will have to be seen, but fans can bet that this roster can get this team as close to the playoffs as they can get. Winning is not a distant dream in Jacksonville; it’s the reality.
