By: Noah Trombley
The 2021 NFL season is almost upon us and with it comes the shocks and excitement that can only come from NFL football. The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the teams who could provide us with some shocks this year and really make some noise even when it comes towards the end of this season.
The Jaguars have a lot of offensive firepower that could make them a tough team to deal with this year. Obviously the main key to unlocking the Jaguars offensive potential is going to be the number one overall pick, Quarterback Trevor Lawrence. In the preseason Lawrence went 31/44 with 2 touchdowns, no picks and was only sacked 3 times. This kid will be something special in this league, he shows amazing poise and patience in the pocket, even when under heavy pressure, and does not make bad throws or force the ball into coverage. The main question this year will be how quickly can Lawrence adjust to playing starters in the league and will his talent come through this year or does he need a couple years under center to really breakout and show us the level he played at Clemson with. The one thing you can say about Lawrence this year is that he is surrounded by some amazing playmakers and good talent at both the receiver and running back positions. Dj Chark, Laviska Shenault, and James Robinson form a very competent offensive core around Lawrence and will allow him to really take shots and try and be a big time playmaker. Shenault went for 600 yards last year in his debut season and DJ Chark has proven he can go for over 1000 yards. Robinson has also proven very efficient as he rushed for 1070 yards last year on a 1-15 team. So two receivers who can have the potential to go for over 1000 yards receiving and a running back who can rush for over 1000 yards will definitely allow the Jaguars offense to be able to carry them this season.
The defense on the other hand is another story entirely. A lot of players on the defensive side are going to have to step up from what they’ve done in previous seasons in order for this defense to stop anyone. 2nd year cornerback C.J Henderson showed some flashes last year during his rookie year but did get burned a few times and only came away with 1 interception on the year. The addition of Shaquill Griffin should lighten the load for Henderson but he will be the key for the Jaguars secondary and needs to play up to the 9th overall pick standards. Finally Linebacker Josh Allen is another key piece the Jaguars need to get going this year. Allen had 10.5 sacks his rookie year and looked to be ready for a huge sophomore season last year but injuries slowed his progress. Jacksonville needs to keep him healthy so they can generate some pressure on quarterbacks this year.
If the Jaguars get all these pieces working right they can be a big surprise team this year that no one will see coming. The ceiling for the Jaguars is 10=7 and the floor is 4-13.
The Sports Insanity Network 