Jaguars vs. Cowboys Matchup Preview

Jaguars Will Host The Cowboys In Their Biggest December Game In Years

It's been a long time since the Jaguars were relevant in December, and although many will refuse to acknowledge that, this is a brand new Jaguars team. Exactly one year ago, the Jaguars announced that Urban Meyer was fired after a disastrous season. Today, that same team is competing for a potential home playoff game under the leadership of Doug Pederson. If the Jaguars want to be a playoff team and prove that they aren't the same team that lost five straight earlier this year, they'll need to go toe to toe against one of the league's best teams in the Cowboys.

The Cowboys are in a very different situation than the Jaguars. Dallas has been able to win ten games already on the season and are looking forward to a huge divisional matchup in Week 16 against the 12-1 Philadelphia Eagles. Because division winners occupy the first four spots in playoff seeding, the Cowboys are automatically relegated to the fifth seed despite holding the second best record in the NFC. With a huge matchup on the line for Dallas and much ignorance around the NFL regarding the state of the Jaguars, this could easily turn into a trap game.

Both teams are coming off wins from the previous week although they were in very different fashion. As we know, the Jaguars were able to silence the critics by heading into Nashville and winning their first game there since 2013 in dominant fashion. Following this key divisional matchup, the AFC South championship is clearly up in the air and will likely come down to how the Titans respond to their three-game losing streak. On the other side, the Cowboys are coming off of a close game against the Texans. After trailing Houston for much of the second half, Dallas was able to do just enough to beat a team that shouldn't have been competitive in that game. Unfortunately, that's something the Jaguars are very familiar with too.

Trevor Lawrence Will Face A Micah Parsons Led Front Seven

Trevor Lawrence's development will once again be put to the test against a fantastic Dallas front seven. Micah Parsons has been a huge x-factor for their defense with a nearly even split of games that alternate between no sacks and two sacks. Kind of a weird stat, but it's what the sheet says. Parsons has also been able to force several fumbles this season on a defense that's allowed the third fewest points this season to opponents.

The Cowboys have been very efficient at forcing turnovers this year with an average of nearly two takeaways per game. This game could very well be the first time that we see Lawrence throw an interception since Week 8 in London, but Trevor is also playing at an entirely different level than he was before. The silver lining though is that the Cowboys haven't been as stout on defense following some big injuries. Their secondary is going to be extremely thin which should offset some of the challenges Lawrence could've face in the passing game.

Although the Dallas defense has been great this year, they've been below average in run defense which needs to be taken advantage of by Jacksonville. Since the bye, Travis Etienne and co. haven't been able to produce well on the ground and have left games almost entirely on the shoulders of Trevor Lawrence. This would be an ideal week for Etienne to burst onto the scene again, but I think there's still a chance that the Jaguars' fate will once again come down to how Lawrence performs under pressure.

Jaguars Defense Will Need To Continue Their Opportunistic Ways Against Prescott

While the Jaguars defense hasn't reached the level that many fans were expecting at this point, there should be no doubt that they have playmakers. As of now, the Jaguars rank eighth across the league in takeaways and are coming off a game in which they had three fumble recoveries and an interception. Even if they're allowing lots of yardage to opponents, they show the ability to flip the field and give the offense extra possessions.

The Jaguars made several moves in Week 14 across their defensive lineup to put players in spots they can succeed. They moved Darious Williams to his natural position on the boundary while having Travon Walker start more plays in a three-point stance which allowed for more burst on plays. Those moves were a great sign that the coaching has evolved over the year and this team can adjust to find solutions. However, it's possible that neither of the players I mentioned are even on the field this Sunday.

There are a lot of questions regarding the health of key defensive players for this matchup. Travon Walker, Chad Muma, Darious Williams, Andre Cisco, and Andrew Wingard are all questionable for Sunday. I'm most worried about Travon Walker participating since he hasn't been able to practice this week other than off to the side by himself. If he's not able to go, the Jaguars will lose the potential that Walker brings for takeaways and his ability to stuff the run. If they're all able to play, they'll need to take advantage of injuries and new starters across the Cowboys offensive line.

Final Prediction

I'm gonna get a little crazy with this one. I think Jacksonville is a different team than they were earlier this year and this is the perfect opportunity to prove it. As Doug Pederson said before the game against Baltimore, this team's goals are still in front of them and that rings more truer than ever before. The Jaguars can win the AFC South and this might be the biggest game before the rematch against Tennessee.

With several Cowboys players looking forward to the game against Philadelphia in Week 16, I think they're going to be caught off guard on Sunday. Jacksonville could get cocky again, but I think this team has grown past that. They're playing for their season every week after losing eight games this season while Dallas is possibly more focused on a revenge game against Philadelphia.

Lawrence and Etienne will lead a well-balanced offense that finds success while the defense forces a few turnovers against the Cowboys. I could be dead wrong, but I think Jacksonville will knock off Dallas in a 31-21 win at the bank. This season is going to be remembered fondly by fans as the beginning of a new era in Jacksonville football, Week 15 could be another chapter.

Thanks for reading, feel free to give your thoughts in the comments and any suggestions for content you want to see. Make sure to be respectful towards other fans and represent the Jaguars fan base the way it deserves.