5 reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars can upset the New England Patriots
By Joe Romano
4. Dominate the Line of Scrimmage
When your team nickname is Sacksonville, clearly the defensive line is a dominant unit. They will need that unit to show up on Sunday.
By most metrics the Jaguars defense was the most dominant unit in the NFL this past season. Despite finishing second in total defense (behind Minnesota), second in turnovers (behind Baltimore) and second in sacks (behind Pittsburgh) this defense was more disruptive than any. This is why they led the NFL in scoring percentage and expected defensive points by a wide margin.
They will face the toughest test in the NFL, the New England Patriots offense.
One way that the Patriots offense has been disrupted in the past is by a dominant defense like Jacksonville. Especially with players up the middle like the Jaguars have.
With the little threat of an inside running game the Jaguars would be wise to place normal defensive end Calais Campbell inside for the majority of the game. This would allow the NFL’s second highest sack artist to disrupt what Tom Brady does best, step up into the pocket. It would also enable pass rush specialist and former first-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. to be on the field more and wreak havoc on the edge.
Jacksonville’s front four and speedy linebackers match up really well with this Patriots offense. Brady is a maestro behind that offensive line given any amount of time. They will need to get into his face, force him into longer throws and rough him up if they plan on stopping him from going to back to back Super Bowls.