Jaguars Set to Face a Future Hall of Fame Quarterback in Back-To-Back Weeks

The Jacksonville Jaguars had to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers last week. They receive no break with the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger coming to town this weekend. What can the defense learn from and to to defeat the future Hall of Famer?

This past Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) faced arguably their toughest challenge of the season to date.

They had to travel Green Bay, play in much colder weather and take on the 7-2 Packers, led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers -- The MVP passer that is never shocked by anything that happens on a football field (although he had to have been at least slightly befuddled that the Jaguars were within four with a chance to win late in the game) and can make a game plan based on every aspect of the day, including the length of the grass blades.

It’s a tall task for any team, especially the youngest team in the league with a defense that has plugged and played a swath of young players to accommodate for injuries, opt outs and suspensions.

But thankfully for the Jaguars, it’s over and behind them. Now they can return home…where things don’t get any easier.

Because waiting in TIAA Bank Field this weekend will be the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterbacked by another future Hall of Famer, Ben Roethlisberger.

Head Coach Doug Marrone knows this puts his young defense in a peculiar position, trying to execute a game plan that has likely already been figured out by the passer, as Marrone explained to reporters on Wednesday.

“This is back to back weeks of going against guys that are probably going to be in the Hall of Fame and that played a long time. It’s very difficult to defend because you’re sitting there and you’re trying to just picture yourself as someone that’s seen a lot, that’s very, very comfortable in the pocket, understands what everyone’s doing on the field, and then all of a sudden he knows what you’re doing defensively. Right away now, whatever you want to talk about progressions and things like that nature, right away you know where you’re going with the football.”

Roethlisberger thus far this season has gone 223-334, a 66.8% completion rate, with a 22-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. At 38 years old, he’s not as apt to run as in the past, with 14 yards in nine games. But he can, because he has a plan at all times. That’s what Marrone needs the Jaguars defense to understand.

“Obviously, [he] has a strong arm. He’s tough to bring down. [He] doesn’t have the scramble ability like he had years ago but that’s not alarming. He can still pick up a first down if he needed to, but he’s very difficult to bring down. I would point out his accuracy. It’s been lights out when you go and you watch where he’s placing the ball, especially against teams with man coverage. They have a lot of crosses in there, guys going over the middle.

“The one thing is, if you’re going to make a mistake in coverage, and I think we saw that last week, he’ll take advantage of you. He can see the field so it’s not like he’s running through the progressions. If something happens and someone thinks they’re in cover three and they’re in two deep and someone’s running down the seam free, which we saw in the Cincinnati game, he’s just going to turn around and throw it. He’s going to be able to get that guy the ball. So he’s playing at a really high level right now and they’re playing with a lot of confidence.”

So what can the Jaguars defense do to find confidence on their end? The numbers aren't in the jags favor. Roethlisberger is averaging 251.9 yards per game through the air this season, while the Jags defense is giving up 283.9 passing yards a match. Aaron Rodgers threw for 325 last Sunday.

The key, according to Marrone, is to not let him get behind you.

“Try to keep everything in front of you and try to make sure there’s no yards after the catch. I think that’s a big thing. I think he’s having a great year. He’s been around for so long now, but he’s playing at a really high level right now. It’s interesting, they’re sixth in offense but from an explosive play standpoint, they’re not as high. So I think when you just look at that right off the bat, I think the first thing you think of is how well he’s distributing the football, how well he’s seeing the field, his accuracy.

With seven games still to play, the Jacksonville Jaguars have the second toughest remaining schedule. Of those seven, the Steelers are considered the toughest opponent. That means if Jacksonville can get through Sunday, the hardest part of the season will be behind them and the Hall of Fame quarterbacks will be in the rearview mirror…until the Jaguars travel up the Northeast coast on December 20 to face the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson that is; but that's a problem for December.