5 STORYLINES FOR THE JAGUARS IN WEEK 11

The Jaguars enter week 11 on an eight game losing skid. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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Against all odds, we've made it through the first ten weeks of the 2020 NFL season. Despite all the losing, the Jaguars are still playing tough, mostly competitive football and are reasonably entertaining.

Let's take a look at some storylines for the Jaguars heading into the eleventh week of the regular season.

Soul-Crushing Losing

The Jaguars have lost EIGHT, that's right, eight consecutive ball games. After a 1-0 start to the season, these not so cool cats have found a way to lose for two straight months. After the most recent loss to the Packers, a game the Jags lost by just four points, Doug Marrone opened up about the toll that all the losing is taking on him. "I want to make sure I answer this the right way," said Marrone. "Every time you play and lose, for me, I'm not going to talk about anybody else; it's something that's in my soul that just gets (expletive) ripped out. So, that's how I feel. So, it doesn't matter whether it's this game or the other seven before … and it's something that you can't replace. At least that's how I feel. I appreciate the question, though." 

James Robinson's Historic Season

Jaguars undrafted rookie runningback James Robinson is continuing to set records this year. He now has the most scrimmage yards by an undrafted rookie through ten weeks in the history of the NFL. His steady performances have helped to keep the Jaguars' offense on track. This year, with 917 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns in nine games, Robinson's performance would impress no matter his draft position.

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A Date With A Former Division Rival

The Jaguars will host the Steelers this week. One of the most consistent overall teams in the NFL, the Steelers should have their way with the Jaguars. The Steelers, boasting a 9-0 record, are the only undefeated team in football. Their defense is loaded with stars, and so is their offense. Between Big Ben, Juju, Diontae Johnson, Mapletron, and James Conner, Pittsburgh's offense can hurt you in a lot of ways. The Jaguars may break their losing streak at some point down the stretch, but it's not likely to happen in week 11. The Jags are currently ten-point home underdogs in this one. 

Quarterbacks

Gardner Minshew, who injured the thumb on his throwing hand in October, will begin throwing the ball to receivers again this week. He hasn't made significant enough progress to re-enter the starting lineup, so it'll be rookie Jake Luton taking snaps again this week for the Jaguars. His impressive first showing against the Texans didn't exactly hold up when the Big Cats traveled to Green Bay this past weekend. He completed just over 50% of his passes with one touchdown and one interception. It was a cold, windy day in Lambeau. Perhaps a return to Florida will see an improved Luton under center in week 11. 

Draft Positioning 

As much as old school fans hate to think about the draft this early in the season, that's where we are with this Jacksonville franchise. The slate needs wiping when it comes to the front office and coaching staff. This group is dead in the water. But as the Jaguars continue to lose games, hope for the future grows. Why? The draft. The Jaguars currently hold the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. If they're able to land a pick inside the top two, they'll have their chance to select a potential franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields. The team has never landed a blue-chip quarterback prospect in the draft. It's the type of swing that could help change the Jaguars from a perennial loser to a competitive team yearly. The Jaguars are the only one-win team in the NFL, so as long as they continue to lose the games they should (all of them), the Jaguars will be in position to make a franchise-changing draft pick in April. 

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