Cowboys vs Jaguars Week 15: history, key players, projection
By Riley Donald
Cowboys vs Jaguars: Gut projection
Projection: Dallas Cowboys 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 26
The Cowboys are going to be tasked with winning this game through the air against Jacksonville, in a flip of the script from what we have seen lately. The Jags aren’t a brick wall by any means, as their run defense is 14th in the NFL. It is just that their passing defense is 29th in the league, an area that the Cowboys can try to exploit.
Over the last seven games, Dallas is 6-1 and averaging a monstrous 35.7 points per game. They are hanging up big numbers on teams, and when things are clicking, they can score at will. What may be more impressive is that their offense was lackluster for most of the game against the Texans and still managed to score 27 points and have 404 yards of offense.
Trevor Lawrence has the Jaguars with the 10th-best passing offense in the NFL in his second year, as he seems to be turning a corner. That puts their run game at 15th in the NFL, which gives them a more than capable offensive attack.
This one will be a little bit more high-scoring than some think, and close throughout, as the Jags will surprise some people with their talent level. The Cowboys will still surpass 100 yards on the ground, something they have done in 11 of their 13 games, and give Dak just enough help on the ground to open up the play action attack, an area that could pay huge dividends on Sunday.
Overall, the Jags are 15th in the NFL in both offensive and defensive scoring, a stat that encapsulates this team. They are a middle-of-the-road NFL team, and that may be the most dangerous type of team to face when you have a bullseye on your back.
Trevor Lawrence is going to make some plays on this defense, and that is kudos to him. He is figuring out life in the NFL, with 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He has yet to face a defensive front like Dallas, though. After the ‘Boys were held sack-less against the Texans, intuition would lead one to believe that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have some heat dialed up to get that unit back on track.
There are some points to be found in this one, and that’ll mean another week of a high heart rate for those in the Cowboys’ corner. This game stays within one score most of the way and, like last week, comes down to the final two minutes. The Cowboys offense gives the defense a lead this week in a swap of roles, and puts the job on that unit to close this one out.
