In Week 2, the Jacksonville Jaguars head to Nashville for their first road trip to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS nationally and WJAX-TV locally. Sunday's game marks Jacksonville's second straight divisional matchup after the Jaguars defeated the Colts, 27-20, in Week 1. With a victory, Jacksonville would improve to 2-0 for the eighth time in franchise history.
Minshew Mania Ensues: In Week 1, second-year QB Gardner Minshew II completed 19 of 20 passes (95.0 comp. pct.) for 173 yards and three TDs for a passer rating of 142.3. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least three TDs and complete at least 95.0 percent of his passes on Kickoff Weekend. The Brandon, Miss. native topped his own spectacular performance from Week 1 in 2019 (88.0 completion percentage) and now holds two of the three highest completion percentages in Week 1 in NFL history.
While Sunday is expected to be Minshew's first game at Nissan Stadium, the second-year signal caller demonstrated the ability to perform on the road in 2019. He completed 113 of 202 passes for 1,437 yards, nine TDs and zero INTs away from home in 2019, joining QB Tom Brady (2016) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to post at least nine TDs and zero INTs on the road in a single season.
In his one game against Tennessee in 2019, he completed 20 of 30 passes for 204 yards and two TDs in a 20-7 victory.
Quotable: "This guy is a leader, and that team has rallied around him since he's been the starter. He's decisive, very accurate, keeps plays alive. We struggled against him last year. He's letting those weapons work for him." – Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel
Welcome to the NFL: Thirteen rookies, including 11 draft selections, made their NFL debuts in the Jaguars' Week 1 victory last week. Jacksonville's rookies played a combined 232 snaps, the most combined snaps played by rookies of any team in the NFL on Kickoff Weekend.
Three members of the rookie class earned starts for the Jaguars: CB CJ Henderson, RB James Robinson and WR Laviska Shenault Jr. All three left their mark on the game with Henderson posting five tackles, a team-leading three passes defensed and one INT, Robinson recording a team-high 90 scrimmage yards and Shenault catching three passes for 37 yards and a score.
Henderson became the third player in NFL history to post five tackles, three passes defensed and one INT in their professional debut, while Robinson's 90 scrimmage yards were the second-most among all rookies in Week 1. Shenault was the only rookie wide receiver in the NFL to record a receiving TD last weekend.
Quotable: "We had a lot of rookies and second-year players step up and make huge plays for us today [against the Colts]. When they are playing with confidence, you love a young team that plays with confidence. They have the energy. They got that swag about them. I'm very excited for our young guys who really stepped up and made some huge plays for us today." – QB Gardner Minshew II
Safety Tandem: S Josh Jonesstarted at strong safety in his Jaguars debut in Week 1, while S Andrew Wingard played 32 snaps to kick off his second season with the team. Jones' time in Duval started with a bang as he posted a team-leading 12 tackles, tied for the most in his career and tied for the fourth-most among all safeties in the NFL last week. Wingard snagged a critical INT in the fourth quarter, which he returned 12 yards and led to a 46-yard field goal from K Josh Lambo to put the Jaguars ahead 27-20.
Quotable: "Coming out of the draft, I always said, 'This is kind of the scheme that Seattle won big with' so I always said, 'This is the system I need to be in.' I always spoke it into existence. I always spoke it into the universe and here I am. It fits my skill set: a guy that can run sideline to sideline, a guy that's [as] athletic as I am. Not to toot my own horn, but just to show my God-given abilities out there and it's fun. This defense is real fun." – S Josh Jones
Allen's Aim: DE Josh Allen posted one of the best performances of his NFL career (2.0 sacks, one forced fumble) against the Titans in Jacksonville's Week 3 victory in 2019. Allen, who was named a captain prior to the season and is looking for his first sack of the season on Sunday, has recorded 10.5 sacks in his career, the most through 17 career games in Jaguars history. His 2.0 sacks in the Jaguars' victory against the Titans in 2019 were part of a season-high 9.0 sacks for Jacksonville, which also included 2.0 from DL Dawuane Smoot and 1.0 from DT Taven Bryan.
Quotable: "I feel like when the media say—when the people see some of our players leave, they think, 'Oh that team is going to be crappy.' But little do they know, they're not in our organization. They don't know what types of guys we have now and what types of competitors that we have. And we play together, we play as one defense, one sound, one mind and that's how we execute and that's how we're going to continue to play for the rest of the season." – DE Josh Allen
Get in the Game: Tuesday, Sept. 22 is National Voter Registration Day, and the Jaguars are encouraging fans to register to vote by the deadline on October 5. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, the team launched its "Get in the Game" campaign, an organization-wide commitment to voter education organized by players and coaches. Jaguars players, coaches and front office staff all participated in virtual voter education courtesy of RISE, a non-profit organization that partners with sports teams, leagues and athletes to improve civic engagement, and several Jaguars players and coaches participated in a public service announcement directed at fans and others to vote.
Get in the Game and vote! Visit https://www.jaguars.com/vote for more information on how to get registered and to stay updated on how the team is supporting local voting efforts.
Quotable: "We challenge everyone to exercise their democratic duty and take the time to register and vote. For me, simply voting is not enough. I think it's crucial to encourage and empower others around me to take advantage of the opportunity to let their voice be heard. Sports and society have always been intertwined, and as an NFL player, I'm hoping to use my platform to stress the importance of voting to Jacksonville residents and others around this country. The time is now." – WR Chris Conley
Every week during the 2020 season, Jaguars Public Relations Assistant David Wolf will write five key stats about the Jaguars' upcoming game. A Chapel Hill, N.C. native, Wolf joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in May 2018.
