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Final analysis: The experts on Jaguars-Eagles

final-analysis

JACKSONVILLE – Each week during the 2022 season, Jaguars "experts" – Tony Boselli, Frank Frangie, Brent Martineau, John Oehser, Brian Sexton, J.P. Shadrick and Ashlyn Sullivan – will analyze the following day's Jaguars matchup.

Up this week:

The Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

Tony Boselli, Jaguars analyst and former Jaguars left tackle

  • The Jaguars will win if: They don't allow the fast-starting Eagles to get the big early leads they have taken the last couple of weeks. It will be a hostile environment in Philly and this young Jaguars team must endure the early chaos and match the Eagles early. The best way to do this is to get Robinson going early. The best way to take the crowd out is long, clock-eating drives.
  • The Eagles will win if: Their defense can make the Jaguars one-dimensional by taking Robinson and running back Travis Etienne Jr. out of the game and making it a game with Lawrence forced to throw 50 times. With the Eagles' pass rush and a Philly crowd, they will put the Jaguars in a position where it would be tough to win.
  • As Boselli sees it: This is the Jaguars' toughest game so far in this young season. The Eagles are the last remaining undefeated team in the league, but I think at about 4:15 p.m. Sunday the 1972 Miami Dolphins will be raising their champagne glasses once again: Jaguars 21, Eagles 17.

Frank Frangie, Radio Voice of the Jaguars

  • The Jaguars will win if: They keep doing what they're doing: stuffing the run, rushing the passer, and creating turnovers. Offensively, Lawrence is getting the ball out quickly and the Jaguars have been very efficient. I also think they will continue to mix in different weapons, with wide receiver Zay Jones joining the fray last week. Both running backs have been effective. One key here is to keep Hurts in the pocket. That is something the Jags haven't had to worry about in recent weeks.
  • The Eagles will win if: They force Lawrence to throw off schedule, which the Colts and Chargers were unable to do. They also need to get Hurts out of the pocket; the Jaguars have proven they are very good against a pocket passer. And the Eagles need to stuff Jaguars running back James Robinson, who seems to be gaining confidence by the week.
  • As Frangie sees it: This could be one of the best games of the NFL weekend. The key is Hurts, who rushed for almost 800 yards last season and will be by far the most mobile quarterback the Jags have faced this season. If the Jaguars contain him and continue to protect Lawrence, this one could come down to the wire. And the Jags could win it.

Brent Martineau, Action Sports Jax Sports Director

  • The Jaguars will win if: They win the third quarter again. The Jaguars and Eagles are both playing really well, so finding a distinct advantage for one team is difficult. The Jags have been awesome in the third quarter this season, scoring on five of six possessions and netting 30 points. The Eagles have scored 14 points in the entire second half all season. If the Jags do it again, they win.
  • The Eagles will win if: They play a turnover-free first half. One of the keys early this season has been turnovers for the Jaguars, especially early in games. The turnovers have helped set the tone and have staked the Jaguars to early leads. The Jags are proving to be a good front-running team. If the Eagles keep the ball away from the Jags, they can build a lead and they've been good at that the first three weeks.
  • As Martineau sees it: Why not! The Jaguars are playing like a really good football team. The Eagles are, too. Philly hasn't had the most daunting of schedules, though, and I think the Jaguars' wins are more impressive. I think the Eagles will make some mistakes in this one and the Jags' confidence is through the roof. I have the Jags winning one for Pederson, 31-23.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Chargers

September 25th, 2022

John Oehser, jaguars.com senior writer

  • The Jaguars will win if: They win turnover differential, and the offensive line continues to protect Lawrence. The Jaguars have dominated two consecutive games for many reasons, but keeping Lawrence phenomenally clean has allowed him to play like a franchise quarterback. The Jaguars' plus-eight turnover differential is a hard pace to maintain, particularly against an Eagles team that also excels in this area.
  • The Eagles will win if: Hurts is effective in and out of the pocket. Hurts is the most versatile quarterback the Jaguars will have faced in four games. If the Jaguars can make him one-dimensional, they have a chance. If he's breaking the pocket and making plays downfield, the Jaguars are in trouble.
  • As Oehser sees it: The Eagles' balance and health makes this the Jaguars' toughest task in four games. The Jaguars should play well. Nothing in the first three games indicates that won't happen. But playing well may not be enough against an Eagles team that may be the NFL's best right now.

Brian Sexton, jaguars.com senior correspondent

  • The Jaguars will win if: They finish the game plus-two. Takeaways and extra possessions have been the key to the Jaguars' solid starts against the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers in recent weeks, and the same will be true in Philadelphia. Creating two extra possessions for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and robbing Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts of two chances to score is the formula for getting a third consecutive win for the first time since December 2017.
  • The Eagles will win if: Hurts has time to throw. Hurts is the first quarterback the Jaguars have faced this season who can hurt them with his legs, which means he can extend the play and cause problems. Eagles wide receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are as good a receiving tandem as there is in football – and if Hurts isn't hurried, he'll keep the Jaguars' defense on its heels. That doesn't translate to winning for the Jaguars.
  • As Sexton sees it: The Jaguars aren't a surprise to themselves. The players I talked to in August saw what Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Trent Baalke were building, and believed they could be a good team this season and wouldn't have to wait until 2023. They play good football on both sides of the ball and Pederson is a major factor in their 2-1 start. I say they keep it rolling with a win in Philly.

J.P. Shadrick, jaguars.com senior reporter

  • The Jaguars will win if: They win the turnover battle and score touchdowns in the red zone. This Eagles offense is starting to find its stride. This Jaguars defense is doing just the same. If the Jags can get the advantage here, it could be a good day.
  • The Eagles will win if: They dominate the interior of the Jaguars' offensive line and force problems in the run game – and in the face of Lawrence. Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox has played at a high level for a long time and can be a problem, plus the Eagles' defensive ends are playing well. This Jaguars offensive line has played well the last two weeks with no sacks allowed and only four hits on Lawrence.
  • As Shadrick sees it: This will be the toughest test so far for a Jaguars team that's bonding together well. This environment in Philly will test all aspects of that, from the noise to the insults, to Pederson and the coaching staff's return. Don't let all that distract you from that really good football team wearing green. The Jaguars should be able to go toe-to-toe with the Eagles and make a statement. 

Ashlyn Sullivan, Jaguars team reporter

  • The Jaguars will win if: They play like the team we think they might be. They have had the mindset the past two weeks that they can beat anyone in the NFL. The locker room after a beatdown of the Chargers last week was incredibly calm for what they had just done. They expected to win, and they now expect to win every week. If the Jaguars go into this game against the Eagles with that same mindset, we have ourselves a ballgame.
  • The Eagles will win if: They start hot. The atmosphere and the advantage that brings the Eagles is a real thing. That is why Pederson has been pumping extra crowd noise this week to get his team ready. If the Jaguars fall in a hole early, I fear they won't get themselves out. The Eagles' offense has some weapons, especially at receiver. The Jaguars' defense will need to stop them early.
  • As Sullivan sees it: Pederson doesn't like the term "benchmark" game – but this is it. The Eagles are the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. For the last two weeks, the Jaguars have played banged-up teams; the Eagles are healthy. The Jaguars will enter one of the most hostile environments in the NFL. I think Philly wins, but to me, it will be a close game that will truly show us how far the Jaguars have come.

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