Jaguars-Packers: 5 Players to Watch

Which Jacksonville Jaguars will determine Sunday's results against the Green Bay Packers?

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) is forced out of bounds during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to take on one of the toughest tests of the season in Week 8, with the 5-2 Green Bay Packers set to come into EverBank Stadium with big expectations along with them.

If the Jaguars are going to fulfill the upset of one of the NFC's top contenders, it will have to happen through several of their top players. Which players are set to represent the difference between a win and a loss on Sunday? We break it down below with out five players to watch.

Arik Armstead

Could we be seeing a change in Arik Armstead's role with the Jaguars? Even after the trade of Roy Robertson-Harris, Armstead played a season-low nine snaps on the edge in Week 7 and spent most of his time inside at defensive tackle. It resulted in his best game of the season by far, with Armstead recording one of the top win-rates of any pass-rusher last week.

The Jaguars know what they have in defensive ends Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. Both of them are going to win their fair share of reps and disrupt the quarterback at one point or another. What the Jaguars have been missing is an interior rusher who can serve as a third option to terrorize offensive lines. With Armstead taking more snaps at defensive tackle, maybe he can be that player.

Mitch Morse

The Packers offer one of the best defensive line rotations the Jaguars are going to see this year. Whether it be at defensive tackle or on the edge, the Packers are able to send wave after wave of pass-rusher and run-stuffer at opposing offensive lines, and the Jaguars' improved offensive line is going to face one of their biggest tests of the season.

Key to the Jaguars' ability to find an edge against the Packers will be center Mitch Morse, who has helped stabilize the Jaguars offensive line. Morse has been rock solid both as a pass blocker and in the running game, and he will likely find himself matched up with one of the league's best defensive tackles in Kenny Clark.

Darnell Savage

The Darnell Savage Revenge Game week is here. The former Packers first-round pick is set to play his former team for the first time in his career, and there is no questioning how important Savage will be in the Jaguars' attempts to knock Green Bay off. And considering the Packers have one of the best offensive schemes and collections of talent in the NFL, Savage's experience and knowledge of their roster will come in handy.

Savage will seemingly play safety for the second week in a row, which means he will be key in stopping the Packers' tight ends and deep passing game. Savage is arguably the top defensive back on the team not named Tyson Campbell, and the Jaguars will need him to play like that on Sunday to give themselves a chance.

Tank Bigsby

The Jaguars offense has flowed through Tank Bigsby in recent weeks, which may be the true reason Trevor Lawrence has found so much recent success. Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense have thrived on play-action this season, and they wouldn't be able to do it at this rate without the threat of a dominant rusher like Bigsby.

If Bigsby can continue to strike fear into opposing defenses, the Jaguars will continue to be able to manufacture winning combinations in the passing game. And against a fast-flowing and aggressive defense like the Packers unit the Jaguars are set to face this week, Bigsby may be as important as ever.

Jarrian Jones

Arguably the best and most consistent weapon the Packers have had in their skill room this year has been second-year wide receiver Jayden Reed. Reed lines up all over the Packers' formations, but he has also been their top player out of the slot in terms of yards, routes, targets, catches, and touchdowns.

That means rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones is set to face a tough test for the second week in a row. This week's contest is a bit tougher than last week's matchup with Demario Douglas, though, with Reed leading the NFL in yards out of the slot and tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns from the slot with three catches. The Jaguars will need their third-round rookie to be on his game.

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