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Dallas Cowboys vs Jacksonville Jaguars: Know Thy Enemy

By Terence Watson

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Josh Allen #41 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates a defensive play during the second quarter in the game against the Indianapolis Colts at TIAA Bank Field on January 09, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Josh Allen #41 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates a defensive play during the second quarter in the game against the Indianapolis Colts at TIAA Bank Field on January 09, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 11: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the huddle during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jaguars defeated the Titans. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 36-22. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 11: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the huddle during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jaguars defeated the Titans. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 36-22. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

What We’ve Seen from Jaguars and Possible Offensive Gameplan Against Cowboys

Points Per Game: 22.6

Passing Yards Per Game: 246.8

Rushing Yards Per Game: 122.2

Total Yards Per Game: 357.5

Third Down Conversion Percentage: 40.2%

Red Zone Conversion Percentage: 53.2%

Jaguars Offensive Strategy vs Cowboys

Don’t let this 5-8 record the Jaguars are sporting fool you. In the last two weeks, the Jaguars have beaten the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans, teams that are currently the top dogs in their respective divisions. A big reason for that is the maturation of second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and the way offensive coordinator Press Taylor and head coach Doug Peterson made things easier for him pre-snap. The Jaguars are using a lot more pre-snap motion to help Lawrence identify the coverage this season and find his best options faster.

That change has also allowed him to make more audible calls at the line of scrimmage in order to take what the defense is giving them. The running game hasn’t been as effective as they have been in the past with Travis Etienne, but the team is still rushing for 4.7 yards a carry this season, making defenses more susceptible to play-action passes and the deep shots downfield Lawrence and Pederson like to take. The Cowboys are going to have to make this Jaguars team one-dimensional in order to beat them. If they aren’t able to control the running game, and we see the missed tackles and bad angles from the Texans game, then the Jaguars offense will be able to control the clock and methodically work their way down the field and put points on the board.

Cowboys Defensive Strategy vs Jaguars

As I stated earlier, the Jaguars are going to throw a lot of pre-snap motion at the Cowboys to try and get them to tip their hand on defense for Lawrence. This defense has, at times, been very undisciplined in their gap discipline, with their angles to make tackles, and in wrapping players up in order to make tackles. One way they’ve been able to stay disciplined, though, is in their ability to hide their intentions until the very last second. That should help them and make things tougher for Lawrence to decipher pre-snap.

That, along with the injury to guard Brandon Scherff (if he’s unable to play), might allow the Cowboys to attack the left side of the offensive line to get to Lawrence and make tackles in the backfield. The Cowboys’ defensive line is going to need to have a big game this week against a hobbled Lawrence. If they can rattle him early, they should be able to throw a wrench in the Jaguars’ offensive gameplan. They can’t let him escape the pocket and find receivers downfield.

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