Jaguars-Packers: 3 things to watch

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a chance to right a lot of wrongs and get their season back on track and eliminate an NFC contender in their Week 8 game against the Green Bay Packers.

What do the 2-5 Jaguars need to beat the 5-2 Packers? What key storylines will make or break the competition? We explain it below.

The left tackle position

The Jaguars could have an interesting situation at left tackle on Sunday. Starting left tackle Cam Robinson left last week’s game after five snaps due to a concussion, which led to former second-round offensive tackle Walker Little taking his spot and playing well – very well, in fact.

According to Pro Football Focus, Little was one of the league’s highest-graded tackles in Week 7.

What makes things interesting is the fact that Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said Friday that Robinson had taken a step in the concussion protocol and was able to practice somewhat on Friday, which could indicate he will be available for Sunday’s game could.

Would the Jaguars rely on their long-time left tackle against a good Packers pass rush, or would they give Little the job again after a good performance?

How the Jaguars use their linebackers

The Jaguars coaching staff hasn’t been afraid to change things up at linebacker this week.

Both Pederson and defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen have apparently publicly supported Ventrell Miller taking over the role of starting linebacker full-time following the return of Foye Oluokun, which could lead to a changed role for former first-round pick Devin Lloyd.

It remains to be seen whether Oluokun will play in Week 8 after his 21-day practice window opened this week. When he plays against the Packers after missing the last four games, it will be worth seeing how much Miller and Lloyd’s roles change in Nielsen’s defense.

Miller was the bigger playmaker, which could force the Jaguars to make a move.

Jaguars secondary vs. Packers wideouts

The Packers have one of the best – if not The Best: Receiver room the Jaguars will see this season.

While the Packers don’t have a specific No. 1 receiver, they do have a number of pass catchers in Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks that would pose a challenge for any secondary. This includes the Jaguars, who have often had problems defending the pass this season.

The positive for the Jaguars in this game, however, is that they appear to be closer to finding the right mix in the secondary than they were a month ago when they were dealing with injuries.

Darnell Savage has retired at safety while Jarrian Jones has taken over the slot role and the Jaguars had positive results in Week 7. Will this happen again against a talented Packers offense?

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