Jaguars vs Rams Week 7 Preview

The Jaguars will host the Los Angeles Rams in London in week 7 of the NFL season. After a rough loss against the Seahawks, the Jaguars will look to avenge themselves and get right back in the mix of the AFC standings, while the Rams aim to continue their strong start, once again cementing themselves as a Super Bowl contender.

Key Stats

The Jaguars defense has been the story of the team so far, forcing the most turnovers in the NFL while allowing just 20 points per game. But as we have talked about the past few weeks, the defense is vulnerable. The pass defense has allowed the 4th most yards in the NFL so far, which has given teams plenty of chances in games despite the turnovers. While the pass defense has struggled, the run defense has held steady, ranking 8th in yards allowed and 14th in yards per attempt allowed.

On the other side of this, the Rams rank 3rd in passing yards, 4th in passing touchdowns, 22nd in rushing yards, and 18th in yards per attempt. It is clear coming into the game what the Rams game plan will be. Despite star wide receiver Puka Nakua being ruled out, guarding Davante Adams will still be a tall task.. Matthew Stafford has made a career off of feeding his star receiver. Puka leads the team with 65 targets, with Davante not far behind at 55. The closest after this is running back Kyren Williams at 23. It is very likely we will see Davante Adams get anywhere from 15-20 targets in this game.

On the offensive side of things, it has been a rollercoaster for the Jaguars, ranking 17th in points per game. The passing attack has been particularly up and down, at times showing flashes of brilliance and glaring problems at others. Brian Thomas Jr. has slowly gotten back to his 2024 form but still has not had a 100-yard game, and Travis Hunter has shown he is capable of being a great player when targeted.

Penalties have been the Achilles heel for the Jaguars offense so far, stopping them at every turn when they move the ball. The Chiefs game was a great example of the offense's potential when they don't beat themselves, scoring 24 points while recording just 4 penalties.

On defense, the Rams have their peaks and valleys. In weeks 1 and 6, they allowed just 12 total points, but from weeks 2-5, they allowed 24.5 points per game. The pass defense can be vulnerable, but that is largely dependent on how well their pass rush plays. LA ranks is tied for 3rd in sacks at 19, a terrible sign for Jacksonville, who just gave up 7 the previous week.

The Jaguars rushing attack has been very good in totality, ranking 8th in yards and 14th in yards per attempt, but the running backs have combined for just 98 yards on 31 carries in the previous two games, while the Rams rank 15th in yards allowed and 6th in yards per attempt allowed. With the struggles over the last two games, it will be interesting to see how Liam Coen adjusts to this with a different scheme strategy.

Keys to victory

The single biggest area the Jaguars can win the game is in pressures/sacks allowed. Going against such a stout pass rush will be a tall task for the offensive line. If they can minimize the amount of pressure put on Trevor Lawrence, they give themselves a real chance.

A big way to neutralize a pass rush is with an effective running game. With the rushing attack being shut down the last two games, it has made the offense extremely one-dimensional. Liam Coen has been touted as a maestro in creating effective rushing offenses, so we will get a chance to see what adjustments he has made to combat these issues.

Travis Hunter has to be much more involved. To this point, he is being used more as a gadget player than a receiver, despite the flashes he has shown. Now that Brian Thomas Jr. has rounded back into form, it is time to fully involve Travis Hunter in the offensive game plan.

With Puka Nakua being ruled out, this drastically reduces the offensive firepower for the Rams. As we said before, Stafford loves to target his best player, which in this case is Davante Adams. He is the only healthy receiver on the team with more than 10 receptions this season, so make them beat you. One way we could see this play out is having Travis Hunter guard Adams with backside help. Anthony Campanile runs a heavy zone scheme, which will allow some throws underneath, but against such a thin wide receiver group, this could be a man-heavy game.

The final key to the game is playing turnover-free football. Of course, it is much easier said than done, but we saw major strides from Trevor Lawrence in week 6. Despite being under constant pressure, he did not force any errant throws, and took the checkdowns frequently. With such a ferocious pass rush coming after him, it is important that he continues to make the smart play and play turnover-free football.

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