Jaguars vs. Cowboys: Jacksonville’s Must-Win Reality Means Another Do-or-Die Week

The Jaguars face another must-win scenario in a showdown with the 10-3 Dallas Cowboys.

From the eyes of an impartial observer, it is easy to write off the Jaguars because of the quality of their opponent. In the eyes of the players and coaching staff, it’s not over until it’s over.

When asked about the prospect of added pressure of having do-or die games to make the playoffs, offensive coordinator Press Taylor reminded everyone that this team is locked in and ready to compete with the best down the stretch.

“No, I don’t think so,” Taylor said. “We approach every game with a ‘we have to win this game’ mentality. We’re going into every situation now. We’re not looking ahead, we’re locked in right now with the Cowboys and what the troubles that they present to you. 

"That’s our main focus, we’re not worried about anything beyond that. We’re worried about putting the best product out there for three hours on Sunday. At the end of that three hours, we’ll pick our head up and see where we’re at.”

The Cowboys represent the toughest test of the stretch run for this Jaguars team to date. While it is clear that the Jaguars have the confidence necessary to prove resilient, certain aspects of this young team need to regain their footing. On offense, getting Travis Etienne and the running game back on track will be equally as critical as continuing their surge through the air.

“Yeah, that’s certainly something we want to continue to do now,” Taylor said. “Every game is a game within itself; the way you play. We’ve faced some really, really good run-stopping defenses here recently with Kansas City, Baltimore, Tennessee, particularly those three. I think they’re all top six in the league in run defense. We knew what we were getting into with the challenges they could present. 

"Now, we felt like it was best to win the game through the air against Tennessee. We had our runs here and there, but we made a commitment to throw the ball and the guys produced. They made a bunch of plays. You can’t turn on the tape and say we’ve schemed a ton of guys open all the time. Our guys just stepped up, made plays, Trevor delivered, Evan obviously had a great game for us. The surrounding pieces, like Agnew had a huge third down catch for us on a scramble drill, which was when there wasn’t anybody open and those two just made a play. The line and the backs did a great job of holding up with protection. Our run game getting going is an important part of our emphasis, but you kind of just will do whatever it takes each week when we feel like throwing is what we need to do, then that’s what we need to be able to do.”

Defensively, the Jaguars need to build on the momentum from the second half in Nashville a week prior. With uncertainty surrounding Travon Walker’s status for Sunday’s tilt, the next man up will have to be ready to perform. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell made clear that his players will be ready should the opportunity arise.

“That’s the thing, when you’re not a starter, and you’re a role player, you’re always itching for an opportunity, and once you get that opportunity, I tell them all the time, take it and run with it,” Caldwell said. 

“You’ve seen it. Tre (Herndon) had a great game last week. Wingard, he’s been doing it the last few weeks. Then Shaq (Quarterman) got his opportunity, he stepped up and made a big play. I think it’s always the next man up mentality, but when it’s really not next man up, and you get an opportunity to play, you’re itching for it, you go out there and you show and you bring a little life to the team, and the guys are doing that.”