Heading into the Jacksonville Jaguars vs Minnesota Vikings week ten matchup, the Jaguars are dealing with injuries to stars, and are looking to play spoiler for the rest of the season.
Time To Play Spoiler: Jaguars vs Vikings Week Ten
Following the Jaguars’ week nine loss vs Eagles, the Jaguars’ rest-of-season outlook is a lot bleaker than most would’ve thought heading into the season. Despite being about halfway through the 2024 season, the Jaguars are in desperation mode in every aspect. From the injuries they suffered to key players across the roster throughout the year, to the coaching staff being on the hot seat since the downward spiral in week three against the Buffalo Bills. There are so many things that went wrong so far for Jacksonville in 2024, and now heading into the Jaguars vs Vikings week ten matchup, the Jaguars can begin to do one of the only things they can do for the rest of the year: play spoiler.
Despite the Jaguars’ poor record, the team itself is still filled with talented players who can make a difference each Sunday. They showcased that potential last week in the Jaguars and Eagles week nine matchup in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Eagles came into that game hot and shut out the Jaguars in the first half. However, the Jaguars’ talent came through in the second half, and the Jaguars stormed back to make what looked like a blowout into a thriller down to the final drive. While the Jaguars couldn’t finish, they nearly accomplished what will be their overarching goal for the rest of the season, which is to play spoiler.
Playing spoiler is simple, it’s a team that isn’t very good either by record or roster, beating teams vying for a playoff spot. The Jaguars have been in this role many times in their existence, most notably against the Indianapolis Colts a few years ago, where they forced multiple Carson Wentz turnovers en route to a victory that knocked the Colts out of the playoff hunt. The 2024 season provides the Jaguars a chance to continue their spoiler nature, as the talent on the roster is there and could lead to the Jaguars beating some of the tough teams down the stretch. Their first opportunity to play spoiler comes against the Vikings, who have been one of the better teams this season but are knotted up in a tight division race with the Detroit Lions. To spoil the Vikings’ mood, the Jaguars first need to overcome the litany of injuries plaguing their roster.
Injuries Galore
A tell-tale sign of a struggling team is typically the injury report, and its length and importance. A report with a bunch of manageable minor injuries, especially if it’s for players that aren’t as important to the team, is something that’s commonly overcome. Unfortunately, the Jaguars aren’t so lucky.
Heading into the Jaguars vs Vikings week ten matchup, Jacksonville will be down Christian Kirk, Ezra Cleveland, Maason Smith, and most importantly; Trevor Lawrence. The Kirk injury is expected, and Parker Washington can fill in nicely behind him. However, the injury to Lawrence is devastatingly bad. It’s one thing for wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabriel Davis to be dealing with injuries, but for the starting quarterback to be banged up and likely to be out, it’s a massive issue for Jacksonville.
Lawrence, despite the Jaguars’ struggles in 2024, has been the best player on the Jaguars offense. He’s kept the Jaguars in games despite poor playcalling and players making mistakes. While he hasn’t been perfect, the Jaguars would likely be winless if not for his efforts week in and week out. Backing up Lawrence is formed New England Patriots Mac Jones, and the Jaguars also brought in C.J. Beathard from the Miami Dolphins practice squad as Jones’ backup if Lawrence can’t go. With Doug Pederson saying that it’s more likely that Lawrence will miss the matchup against the Vikings, there is not much optimism considering Lawrence’s chances of playing. Regardless, whoever suits up for the Jaguars will have a tough time come Sunday.
Jones Thrown Into the Fire
Even if Lawrence went out there, it would still be a monumentally tough matchup. The Vikings’ defense is one of the trickiest in the NFL. The Vikings have made good offenses look bad and can give the quarterback a lot of tough blitz looks to confuse and hinder the quarterback’s ability to make the right read. With the Jaguars’ banged-up offensive line, and the team dealing with a skill group that’s dealing with their fair share of injuries, the Jaguars’ odds are some of the lowest across the NFL to secure a win in week ten.
Unfortunately, the backup quarterback for Jacksonville has about as tough of a first start as one could get. Jones gets to face one of the toughest defenses in the NFL, and he does so with a banged-up roster surrounding him. Statistically, the Vikings allow a lot of passing yards, however, that’s partially deceptive thanks to their run game being so dominant. The Vikings have one of the best run defenses in the NFL and typically have blown out teams so much so that the offense at the end of the game can generate garbage time yards and touchdowns.
Part of the dominance of the Vikings’ defense, despite allowing so many yards and touchdowns is their ability to get turnovers. The Vikings have 13 interceptions, the most in the NFL. Two of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns, tied for most in the NFL. They also are tied for sixth most sacks with 27, and the Vikings are also one of the best teams on third and fourth down. It’s a complete defense led by Brian Flores and will be a tough matchup for any quarterback, let alone Mac Jones in his first start for the Jaguars.
What To Expect From the Jaguars vs Vikings
It’s probably the most lopsided matchup the Jaguars will have all season. The Vikings’ defense is a perfect counter to the Jaguars’ offense, and without Trevor Lawrence the odds that Jacksonville will get enough offensive scores to keep pace with the Vikings’ offense is low. That offense for Minnesota is severely underrated and could have an explosive performance against Jacksonville.
Sam Darnold has had a career resurgence in Minnesota, and with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison leading the way, the Jaguars defense will have a long day ahead of them. Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson will also prove to be tough players to cover and account for, as the Vikings skill groups are all healthy and ready to beat up on a struggling Jaguars defense. Ryan Nielsen’s unit has allowed the second-most amount of yards through the air, the second-most passing touchdowns, and the highest passer rating to quarterbacks in 2024. It’ll be a long day for the Jaguars defense, especially since the pass rush is unlikely to get home, in part due to their moves.
Before the NFL trade deadline, one of the Jaguars trade deadline candidates was moved to the Vikings, as they traded their starting left tackle Cam Robinson to the Vikings. He replaced the injured Christian Darrisaw, who suffered a season-ending injury and helped re-establish the Vikings’ offensive line for the rest of the 2024 season. The pass rush of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker won’t have an easy time getting to Darnold, as the quarterback has solid protection once again thanks to the trade for Robinson.
Final Outlook for a Spoiler
At the end of the day, there is only one thing the Jaguars can do, and it’s to play as hard as they can and hope that a few things break their way. They got a lucky ruling on a fumble from Saquon Barkley and had a few miscues from the Eagles which allowed them to come back into that game. Against the Vikings, the Jaguars will need a lot more than one lucky call.
Between the injuries, the bleak outlook, and the struggling defense and offense, the Jaguars are facing an uphill battle to play spoiler, let alone make the game close. Lawrence is projected to be out, the Jaguars are dealing with injuries to their offensive line, receivers, and running backs. The coaching staff is on the hot seat, and seemingly on their way out at year’s end, and all of that combines to make for a tall order to beat a dominant team in the Vikings.
While there is a chance that the Jaguars have a few things break their way, the odds of beating the Vikings aren’t high. But, the Jaguars can only do what they can with what they have at this point in the year, and playing spoiler is well within the realm of possibilities for Jacksonville to accomplish. With the season falling apart, the Jaguars can only do one thing the rest of the way. For the Jaguars, it’s time to play spoiler.
Main Image: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
