Jacksonville Jaguars

Ravens Vs. Jaguars: Which Jaguars Team Shows Up On Sunday?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-2. They looked good in a loss to the Packers and horrific in a beat down by the Chargers. What Jaguars team shows up on Sunday?

The Baltimore Ravens go down to Jacksonville in week 3 of the NFL season, There may have been no team that received more hype in the offseason than the Jaguars. Jacksonville hosted the Packers in their season opener and gave Aaron Rogers and company a tough battle. There are no moral victories in the NFL.  The Jags fans probably felt that their team was heading in the right direction though.

When the Jaguars got blown out by the Chargers 38-14 they left the Ravens with a puzzle. Should the Ravens expect a team that gave the mighty Packers a tough contest? Or perhaps the Ravens should expect the team that lost big to a Chargers team with low expectations?

Against Green Bay, Jacksonville held Aaron Rodgers to 199 yards and two touchdowns. They stifled Eddie Lacey to just 61 yards as well. The Packers found themselves lucky to escape with a 27-23 win. Blake Bortles put up huge numbers in the losing fight. He had 320 yards a touchdown and a pick.

Bortles put up similar numbers against the Chargers. This is an example how statistics can be misleading. Many of Bortles 329 yards were earned playing from behind. The Jaguars lost this game because their defense got pulverized. Phillip Rivers scored on four touchdown passes. Melvin Gordon had 102 yards rushing and a touchdowns. When the Jags played the Chargers, San Diego bolted past them (that line seemed irresistible).

The one constant (at least statistically) is that the Jaguars passing game is explosive. Blake Bortles is a guy who can put 300 yards of production on anybody. He’s big and strong and he has a rocket arm. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are a big pair of receivers and Julius Thomas makes a big time trio for Bortles to throw to. Marquis Lee is another player you need to watch out for.

Back to the Ravens mystery, which team should the Ravens prepare for? I think the Ravens found their answer in the first quarter of the Browns game. In the NFL you can never take an opponent for granted. It seems foolish for the Ravens to take any team lightly after falling behind last week 20-2.

That’s the moral of the story here. When the Ravens take the field they have to be on top of their game. When they play down to their opponent’s level or record, they only beat themselves. I am well aware that the Ravens have a propensity for finding the hardest path to victory, but taking the opponent seriously is an easy way to start off on the right foot.

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