The Jaguars look for their first win of the season against a team that has nearly gone undefeated.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) officially begin the Blake Bortles era as the third-overall pick starts his first game against the San Diego Chargers (2-1). While Bortles provides the Jaguars their first real hope at removing their league doormat status, the Chargers are looking to jump ahead of idle division rival Denver in the standings.
Despite a fast start and a late collapse to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, Jacksonville has looked hapless in its last two games. Their struggles have largely resulted from the play of quarterback Chad Henne, who has struggled to complete passes and keep the offense on the field. The quarterback change may improve Jacksonville's aerial attack, but the defense will also need to yield fewer points to earn a win.
The Chargers have already endured multiple injuries to starters (Ryan Mathews, Chad Hardwick) and continued to roll. Their 30-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks was one of the early highlights of the season, and they show no signs of wearing down. They don't play a single team with a winning record before their Oct. 23 showdown with the Denver Broncos, at which point they may already possess the top spot in the division.
How to watch
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
When: 4:05 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker
Radio: Jaguars Radio Network, Chargers Radio Network
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile
Odds
The Chargers are a whopping 12½-point favorite, with an over/under of 44½, per Odds Shark.
Nuts and bolts
Though Blake Bortles' 24 pass attempts are too small a sample size to draw any conclusions, the Jaguars' running game has performed like one of the worst in the NFL. Lead back Toby Gerhart sits at a mere 2.4 yards per carry. Though Gerhart has run tentatively, some of the blame falls with the offensive line. Running lanes have been few and far in between, and the line has also allowed 17 sacks thus far in 2014.
A year after completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, Philip Rivers doesn't appear to have regressed much if at all. The quarterback currently stands at 68.4 percent completion, and is averaging a robust 7.9 yards per attempt. Better still, Rivers has avoided turnovers in big games, throwing zero picks against the defending champion Seahawks.
Further reading
For more on the Jaguars, check out Big Cat Country. For additional coverage on the Chargers, head on over to Bolts from the Blue.
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1ruS2xD
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