What We Saw: Week 8

Brett Ford
Misc 4 Weeks Ago
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Packers @ Jaguars

Final Score: Packers 30, Jaguars 27

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

A messy game in Jacksonville between an embattled Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars and the enigmatic Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers provided an electric finish to gloss over many issues both these teams fought through this game. It was another quarterback who decided the outcome with Malik Willis entering in relief of an injured Love to hit Jayden Reed late for a 51-yard gain to setup a winning field goal as time expired. A key strip-sack fumble from Lawrence handed the Packers a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter than eventually cost his team the game, and questions remain about how effective he can be with Head Coach Doug Pederson in what has been a disappointing Jaguars offense this season.

 

Three Up

  • Josh Jacobs – a dominant performance on the ground from the Packers’ new workhorse – he’s delivering for his team and fantasy managers week in, week out
  • Brian Thomas Jr. – the rookie wideout can make plays at every level and when the Jags needed a splash play they went to him – and they should have used him more
  • Tucker Kraft – a great day for Tucker Kraft on National Tight Ends day as he broke off a huge chunk play and hauled in a touchdown. He’s everything we were told Luke Musgrave was going to be!

Three Down

  • Jordan Love – this was an unconvincing, inaccurate performance from the Packers quarterback, and we have seen this a little too often this season – note the injury asterisk
  • Jayden Reed – what does Reed have to do to get more targets? He’s a playmaker who also can be electric in space – three touches in a game like this is criminal
  • Trevor Lawrence – some good, some bad, some ugly, and the ugly cost his team the game. It’s becoming a habit.

 

Green Bay Packers

 

Quarterback

 

Jordan Love: 14/22, 196 Yards, INT | 1 Carry, -1 Yard

 

It was an inconsistent performance from the Packers quarterback in the first half as he was repeatedly throwing from deep in his own territory with neither team moving the ball with any rhythm. Love then committed the cardinal sin for any signal-caller by throwing a red zone interception on a lazy throw to the sideline. Luckily Jacksonville turned the ball back over immediately and Green Bay cashed in with a rushing score. However, Love was still unimpressive on two field goal drives, twice failing to throw for scores deep in Jags territory. It was on the first of those drives that Love started to feel something in his leg, which was reported after the game to be a groin problem. Whether it was the injury or some poor quarterback play, or both, this was not a good outing for Love.

 

Notes

  • Looked uncomfortable early in the second half after throwing off his back leg and taking a bump from Travon Walker, immediately reaggravating the issue earlier in the game. He was replaced byWillis on a third down immediately after the incident. Love obviously felt like he could not continue.

Missed opportunities

  • After punting on the first two drives, Love worked the team inside the Jacksonville 30-yard line near the end of the third quarter, however, he forced a sideline throw to Romeo Doubs and Jarrian Jones jumped the route to pick him off at the six-yard line. Brutal!
  • Failed to score a touchdown after a first down at the Jaguars’ 14-yard line went nowhere with Love showing physical signs of impediment with a leg injury. The Packers quarterback ended up checking down and settling for a field goal after two incomplete throws that never had a chance.

 

Malik Willis: 4/5, 56 Yards, TD, Sack | 4 Carries, 23 Yards

 

After stepping in for Love earlier in the season and navigating the team to some narrow wins, Willis did exactly what was needed of him to see this one out. 51 of his 56 passing yards came on the final drive of the game on one pass to Reed to put the Packers in field goal range. He also threw a short touchdown pass to tight end Kraft for a score after the Packers forced a fumble in Jags territory.

 

Running Back

 

Josh Jacobs: 25 Carries, 127 Yards, 2 TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, -2 Yards

 

After having a big 16-yard run into Jaguars territory called back by penalty on the Packers’ first drive of the game, opportunities to break downfield were limited by a stout Jacksonville defensive front in the first quarter. Josh Jacobs had two runs for negative yards on early downs near the red zone before seeing the defense pick off Lawrence just outside the red zone. After a defensive pass interference call put the ball at the three-yard line, Jacobs made no mistake in punching the ball in for the first score of the game. From that moment on the Packers were insistent on establishing the run, handing the ball off at will to Jacobs who averaged 5.1 yards per carry on the ground. A chunk play of 38 yards for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter gave Green Bay the platform to go and win the game after Love had exited. Jacobs fought hard for yards and looked explosive at the second level.

 

Chris Brooks: 4 Carries, 16 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard

Emmanuel Wilson: 4 Carries, 5 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, -2 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Tucker Kraft: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 78 Yards, TD

 

Emerging as the primary tight end for the Packers in the first half of the season, Kraft found space on a broken play midway through the second quarter and shook off his tackler to burst away for a 67-yard gain. It was great innovation from Love to find his man over the middle to allow him to make a play on National Tight Ends Day! Kraft then added a key touchdown grab off the back of a turnover to put the Packers ahead in the third quarter.

 

Romeo Doubs: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 72 Yards

 

After recording season highs across the board in Week 7, Doubs provided the offensive spark in the first quarter for the Packers after they started the game with two punts on successive drives. After a nice 29-yard sideline catch that moved Green Bay from their own goal line, Doubs then burned his man on a crossing route over the middle and rumbled for 18 yards to the Titans’ 33-yard line. His most important contribution came inside the two-minute warning in the first half, superbly hauling in a low sideline throw from his quarterback with one hand before securing the ball off-balance to work the Packers into field goal territory with a 25-yard gain.

 

Jayden Reed: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 55 Yards | 1 Carry, 0 Yards

 

After standing out earlier in the season, Reed has now put up back-to-back fantasy duds but you can’t really blame him for not being involved with limited targets coming his way. He was hardly used throughout this matchup despite the Jaguars’ dodgy secondary. His late 51-yard dash down the sideline at the end of the game won his team the matchup but it should never have been this close. The Packers need to find more ways to get their playmaker involved.

 

Christian Watson: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 39 Yards

 

I don’t think it is good news that Christian Watson set a new season high today with four (just four!) catches. In a season once again plagued by injuries, Watson was a bit part player as Love also struggled passing. There seems to be a worrying trend that Watson is not seen as a go-to target in the red zone like he was last season, and the focus on the run game has limited passing opportunities. Watson has just two scores in seven appearances with only 13 catches in that span. He is far from fantasy-relevant right now.

 

Dontayvion Wicks: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards

Bo Melton: 1 Target

Ben Sims: 1 Target

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

 

Quarterback

 

Trevor Lawrence: 21/32, 308 Yards, 2 TD, INT, Sack, Fumble (Lost) | 4 Carries, 10 Yards, TD

 

After a miserable first quarter or so, Lawrence stepped up his passing in the second quarter to revive the offense and lead them to two impressive scoring drives prior to halftime. Lawrence struggled mightily on short-to-intermediate throws but had a lot of joy with the deep ball. Back-to-back connections with Parker Washington for 23 yards and Thomas for 28 yards led to a field goal that kept the Jags within three points going into halftime. He then led a 10-play, 93-yard touchdown drive on the Jaguars’ opening drive of the second half, aided by a connection with Christian Kirk and a gutsy fourth down conversion. However, Lawrence was sacked and coughed up the ball directly after the Packers had answered that score and Green Bay made no mistake in going seven points ahead midway through the fourth quarter.

As a fantasy performance, this was good – over 300 yards for the second time this season, and his three scores (two passing, one on the ground) were his best output of the season. We can live with this version of Lawrence but it does not mean it is the best version.

 

Notes

  • Out of nowhere, Lawrence connected with Kirk for 33 yards and Thomas for 18 yards to work into the red zone late in the first half. The quarterback suddenly came alive in the passing game before polishing off the drive with a tough six-yard run for a touchdown, something the crowd responded to to support the embattled quarterback.
  • An eight-play, 87-yard touchdown drive that included a beautiful throw in the red zone for his big tight end Evan Engram to go up and get was everything good that Lawrence can do. It was too little too late, however, and his big mistakes cost him.

Missed opportunities

  • Worryingly missed on two routine throws on third down, one on each of the first two drives of the game for Jacksonville but the big error came directly after the defense had picked off Love in the red zone – Lawrence throwing down the middle into traffic from his own end zone only for picking-machine Xavier McKinney to easily haul the ball in. Terrible throw.

 

Running Back

 

Tank Bigsby: 18 Carries, 78 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards

 

With Travis Etienne still out with a hamstring injury, Tank Bigsby once again led the backfield and dominated touches. He was impressive running between tackles and averaged a solid 4.3 yards per carry. He failed to punch the ball in with an opportunity at the Packers’ two-yard line and saw his quarterback run the ball in on the very next play. It would likely have been a bigger effort if Lawrence hadn’t fumbled the ball away and put his team in a position to chase the game in the fourth quarter. Bigsby has had two two-touchdown games in the last four games but a return for Etienne would obviously limit his appeal.

 

D’Ernest Johnson: 1 Carry, 3 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 20 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Brian Thomas Jr.: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 60 Yards, TD

 

The rookie wide receiver is the best thing about watching the Jaguars, his route running and ability to separate was once again on show with a couple of catches in the second quarter that kick-started Jacksonville’s passing game. The high point for Thomas was his touchdown catch in the third quarter which he did superbly well to corral in after it was thrown a little too high. The disappointing thing was that Thomas came down on top of the ball and immediately seemed to have the wind knocked out of him. He was also seen flexing his hand on the sidelines. He did not return to the game and his situation should be monitored. It would be a shame if his season was cut short.

 

Christian Kirk: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 59 Yards

 

After hardly featuring in the first half, Kirk popped up to haul in a deep ball for 26 yards on the Jags’ touchdown drive to go ahead in the third quarter. However, the former Cardinals wideout took a heavy hit going to the ground and was immediately removed from the game. Reports later indicate he fractured his collarbone and now is out for the year in another blow for a spiraling team.

 

Brenton Strange: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 59 Yards

 

The second-year tight end has seen a steadily increased role in the Jaguars offense and has two scores on the season. He led the team in catches today but none were particularly spectacular. His 21-yard grab on third down on the Jaguars’ final drive was key to his team tying the game late. He is not on the field much in the red zone with Engram as the red zone target at the tight end position, which limits Strange’s value.

 

Parker Washington: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 46 Yards

Evan Engram: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 36 Yards, TD

 

Despite a big few weeks for the tight end, Engram saw fellow tight end Strange dominate targets as a safety blanket over the middle of the field. Engram lines up more as a receiver, however, and that is exactly where he made his mark with an out route late in the fourth quarter that saw him score a game-tying touchdown with 1:48 in the ball game.

 

Tim Jones: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 20 Yards

Series Navigation
Introduction
Vikings @ Rams
Ravens @ Browns
Titans @ Lions
Cardinals @ Dolphins
Jets @ Patriots
Bears @ Commanders
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Packers @ Jaguars
Colts @ Texans
Bills @ Seahawks
Saints @ Chargers
Eagles @ Bengals
Panthers @ Broncos
Chiefs @ Raiders
Cowboys @ 49ers

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