INSIDE SLANT
NFL Team Report - Jacksonville Jaguars
Marrone wants better effort in final home game Which defense is going to show up for the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday when they play their final home game of the year against the Washington Redskins? That is the question the Jaguars face in this game between two teams that were blown out last week. The Jaguars thought their defense was back when they pitched a shutout against the Colts in a 6-0 victory that ended a seven-game losing streak two weeks ago. But then the next Thursday night, they were shredded by the Tennessee Titans, 30-9, as Derrick Henry ran for a Titans record 238 yards and four touchdowns on just 17 carries. It included a 99-yarder in the second quarter and a 54-yarder in the third quarter. The Jaguars were victims of poor tackling, especially on the 99-yarder when Henry kept stiff-arming defenders as he ran down the left sideline. That is why tackling has been a major issue this week for the Jaguars, especially since they will be facing Adrian Peterson, who is always a threat to break a long one. "We are going to put a lot of emphasis on tackling," head coach Doug Marrone said of this week's practice sessions. "You have a running back coming in here, Adrian Peterson, that has those qualities. Tough to bring down. Gets a lot of yards after contact and things of that nature. That is a challenge. We understand that. We can't tackle like we did last week against this team." In reality, they can't afford to tackle like that against any team. Still, the Jaguars are a touchdown favorite because the Redskins were blown out Sunday by the New York Giants, 40-16. It was the Redskins' fourth consecutive loss even though they are still in the NFC wild-card playoff hunt. The Jaguars have an unsettled quarterback situation because Blake Bortles has been benched and backup Cody Kessler has put only one touchdown on the board in two games. The Jaguars couldn't even score with five snaps from inside the 5-yard line against the Titans. On the final play, Leonard Fournette was stuffed on fourth down from the 1-yard line after Marrone decided not to kick a field goal to cut the Titans lead to 7-5. That set the stage for Henry's 99-yard run and the Titans were in control the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Redskins' quarterback situation is even more fluid. They are now down to their fourth quarterback, Josh Johnson. Their first two quarterbacks, Alex Smith and Colt McCoy, both went down with broken legs and Smith's may be career ending. They then went with Mark Sanchez, who was benched in the third quarter last week against the Giants for Josh Johnson, who hadn't thrown a pass in a regular-season game since 2011. It was garbage time when he came in, but he played well enough that the Redskins are starting him in Jacksonville. He passed for 195 yards and ran for 45. It is also the last home game of the season for the Jaguars because they are playing their last two on the road at Miami and Houston. It is likely to be the last home game for several Jaguars since the team is likely to make changes after the season, but Marrone didn't want to speculate on that. "That is too far down the road for me," he said. "I am just worried about today, doing the best I can for the team today." His message is to give the fans a positive sendoff in the final home game of the year. "I have talked to them about that," he said. "It has been disappointing and we understand that. This is our last time to play at home. Let's go out and give a good performance. We owe it to the fans. They have been through (this season) just like we have been through this season." Even though there isn't much at stake except for pride and playing for jobs, he said, "For us, it is extremely important to go out there and play well and get a win." SERIES HISTORY: 7th regular-season meeting. Redskins lead series, 5-1. The Jaguars only victory in the series came in 2002 when they won, 26-7. The teams have played three games since then, once every four years because they are in different conferences. and the Redskins won all three, the last time a 41-10 victory in 2014. This is the fourth time the teams have played in Jacksonville and the Redskins hold a 2-1 edge along with a 3-0 margin at home.
The Sports Xchange
Recent Stories
Testing Buffalo Bill Page
Joe Horrigan knows the Buffalo Bills
Steelers positional analysis: Kenny Pickett stands alone in QB room
2/17/2024If the Steelers were concerned about the uncertain future at quarterback when Ben Roethlisberger retired, the outlook at the position might not be any more ...
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t deserve criticism since Super Bowl
Globe StaffUpdated February 17, 2024, 9:38 a.m.Kyle Shanahan has been on the defensive all week following the 49ers’ 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs in the Super ...
New Raiders GM expected to be aggressive in search for top QB
February 17, 2024 - 4:19 PMIf Tom Telesco’s past offers clues about his future, expect the Raiders’ new general manager to be aggressive in bringing in a top-level ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...