Fresh off a big win against the Houston Texans, the Packers head to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Green Bay (5-2) brings a 3 game win streak to Duval while the Jaguars (2-5) are returning home after an extended 2 week stay in London.
Jordan Love and the offense will look to keep putting up points while the defense gets back to taking the ball away when they kickoff this Sunday at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.
Here are 3 things to watch in the Packers vs. Jaguars week 8 matchup:
Start Fast, Finish Clean
Just like they did a couple weeks ago at home against the Cardinals, look for the Packers to start strong this week in Jacksonville. This team is designed to get ahead and stay ahead. When the offense can put early points on the board, it sets up the aggressive Jeff Hafley defense to unleash on opposing offenses.
Two weeks ago, the Packers put up 24 first half points. They went into halftime with a 14 point lead and never looked back. With the way the defense is performing in the second half of games, an early lead sets up for an almost “guaranteed” victory.
Bring Back Turnovers
I know, we’re spoiled. The Packers have only lost the turnover battle twice this season. First was in the 2 point loss to Minnesota, and the second was in last weeks victory over the Texans. Last week was the first game this season the Packers defense did not force at least one turnover.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have done a good job at limiting turnovers so far this year. They have only committed 7 giveaways, but still have a negative turnover differential as the defense has only managed to commit 3 total takeaways. Green Bay on the other hand, leads the entire league with 17 total takeaways on the season.
Look for the defense to get back on the takeaway train, Jordan Love to clean up some of the interceptions and for the team to leave Duval with a win in the turnover column.
Win the Deep Balls
With the highest over/under total of the week (49.5) Vegas seems to be expecting a potential shootout in Jacksonville. This could be driven by the potential for explosive, over-the-top plays from both offenses. Trevor Lawrence ranks first in the league in passes attempted and completed on balls traveling 20+ yards in the air. He has a true deep threat in rookie Brain Thomas Jr.
On the other side of the ball, one of the Jaguars weakest links is their secondary, particularly at the Safety position. Over the offseason the Jaguars signed former Packers’ safety Darnell Savage, while the Packers went on to sign one of the best safeties in the league in Xavier McKinney. Expect LaFleur and Love to attack the Jaguars weak secondary while McKinney, Evan Williams and the rest of the Green Bay secondary look to limit explosive plays and force a turnover or two.
Prediction: Packers 34, Jaguars 17
Some might call this a potential “trap game” as the Packers are coming off a big win and now head to Florida (where they typically struggle) to take on a 2 win team. But this team feels different. I wouldn’t expect a let down performance with this roster and with the way LaFleur has been talking about Jacksonville all week, I don’t think he is letting his guys overlook this game. Jordan Love should clean up some of the turnovers, the offense should be able to continue scoring at a high level and the defense should be able to get after Lawrence a little bit and create a key turnover. An early lead and relentless defense should be enough to leave Duval with a 4th straight win.
