JaguarMaven Week 13 Staff Predictions: Jaguars vs. Buccaneers

How does the JaguarMaven staff think tomorrow's game vs. the Buccaneers is going to play out?

The Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) are finally back at home after not playing a game at TIAA Bank Field since Oct. 27, when they beat the New York Jets 29-15 in Week 8. This time around, they will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) as Jacksonville tries to snap a three-game losing skid that has sent the season sideways.

In some preparation before the game, the JaguarMaven writing staff has come together to bring you our predictions of how we believe Jaguars vs. Titans plays out.

1. Tampa Bay has the best WR duo in the entire NFL. How do you think Jacksonville's secondary will stack up against them?

John Shipley: It depends a bit on if starting cornerback Tre Herndon plays or not, considering he is listed questionable with a shoulder injury. Jacksonville is already without playmaking safety Ronnie Harrison, so they are in a tough spot to begin with. If they lose Herndon as well, odds are they would have to deploy Breon Borders against either Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, a potentially disastrous matchup for Jacksonville. If Herndon does play, they should at least offer up more resistance.

Andrew DiCecco: One thing Tampa has been successful at this season is getting the ball to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Bruce Arians has done a masterful job of scheming around his wideouts, no matter the opponent. I expect the Jaguars secondary to struggle with the length of Evans and quickness and versatility of Godwin. If Jarrod Wilson is out, expect to see them test young Andrew Wingard deep, early.

Trevan Pixley: Honestly, this game is going to be a shoot out, Godwin, Evans, Chark and Conely should combine for 500 yards. I think the secondary will struggle for each team.

2. Tampa's defense is elite against the run and suspect vs. the pass, but the Jacksonville offense runs through Leonard Fournette. Do you think Jacksonville feeds him or tries to air it out vs. a bad pass defense?

John Shipley: I think Jacksonville will try to get Fournette going early since they seem to have once again made an emphasis on him being the focal part of the offense. However, I also think Tampa will largely make his impact minimal during the early going, so I think we will see a lot of Nick Foles tossing the ball for at least the final three quarters.

Andrew DiCecco: Well, this is exactly why they forked over the money to bring in Nick Foles over the offseason. Foles has a proven track record of having the occasional breakout game to go with some middling performances -- particularly against weak secondaries. I think the Jags will go to the air early, and I anticipate a lot of points scored.

Trevan Pixley: I think this game will be dominated through the air, a battle of two occasionally mediocre passers who have struggled recently. I expect each quarterback to throw over 40 times.

3. Shaquill Barrett has destroyed offenses all season long. How confident are you in Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor's ability to slow him down?

John Shipley: I am actually really excited to see Jawaan Taylor in pass protection reps against Shaquill Barrett. Barrett wins in so many different ways that how Taylor performs against him could be a good measuring stick for how far along he is in his development. Ultimately I think Jacksonville will allow at one least one sack to Barrett before the day is over though because he is the type of defensive end Cam Robinson has historically struggled against.

Andrew DiCecco: Robinson and Taylor have mostly held their own week in and week out. While Barrett is having a career season, they've faced better pure edge rushers over the course of the season. They'll hold up fine, but Foles will need to help them out by unloading the ball faster this week.

Trevan Pixley: I think the Jaguars offensive line has held up well this season in pass protection, and I think that will continue on Sunday vs. Barrett and the rest of the Tampa Bay defense.

4. Which Jaguars player do you think the most important for a victory Sunday?

John Shipley: I am going to cheat a bit and pick two players, with those being defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Josh Allen. Jameis Winston is a turnover machine when he is pressured, so getting to him off of the edge will be paramount if Jacksonville wants to keep up with the scoring ability of Tampa Bay.

Andrew DiCecco: I'm going with A.J. Bouye. The Jaguars have displayed unwavering confidence in Bouye in the past, and he will have every opportunity to prove his shutdown ability against the most formidable receiving tandem in the NFL. The game will likely go as he goes, so to speak. If he struggles, the end result could get ugly.

Trevan Pixley: DJ Chark. I think he is going to have to ball out vs. a suspect Tampa Bay secondary to give Jacksonville a shot to win this one.

5. Final score prediction?

John Shipley: I am going to go 31-17, Tampa Bay. I think Jacksonville will spend too much time early trying to run the ball and the banged-up secondary will ave allowed too many points by the time the passing offense gets into a rhythm.

Andrew DiCecco: I have it at 33-27, Jacksonville. Foles will simply make fewer mistakes than Winston in the late stages of this barn burner.

Trevan Pixley: 45-42, Jaguars.