Jaguars in 2017
A.J. Bouye Jerseys Stitched , turnovers were at the top of the list.The Jaguars took care of the ball, especially in the postseason, and ranked second in the league
with 33 takeaways. They finished the regular season at plus-10 in turnover
margin, tied for fifth in the NFL.They're nowhere close to that these days.The
Jaguars (3-3) have been careless with the football through six games and have
done considerably less to create fumbles and interceptions.The result:
Jacksonville sits next to last in turnover margin, a minus-9 ratio that was a
key part of consecutive blowout road losses to Kansas City and Dallas.Finding a
way to end the trend Sunday against Houston (3-3) could be the difference
between first place in the AFC South and a three-game losing streak."We're
definitely not helping ourselves out by any means," quarterback Blake Bortles
said. "We are getting unlucky. Not only are we not helping ourselves, but we are
also getting some bad bounces, and that is part of it."We will start creating
our own good fortune
Youth Jalen Ramsey Jerseys , and I think with that we will start getting some breaks and some bounces will go our way as well."The Jaguars could use some better
fortune, especially since they are without their top two left tackles, their top
two tight ends, two of their top three running backs and their leading receiver
from a year ago. The rash of injuries has hampered the offense so much that it
failed to score in the first half of the past two games.And the usually stout
defense has done little, if anything, to pick up the slack. The unit allowed a
combined 802 yards, 63 points and 49 first downs against the Chiefs and
Cowboys."We haven't lost our confidence," defensive tackle Malik Jackson said.
"I think it's a reality check. We understand who we are. We know who we are. I
think a lot of us are leaning on the accolades."We want to be Pro Bowlers. We
have to be All-Pros. We want to be this
Jalen Ramsey Jerseys Stitched , but we have to understand that we just have to play like we did last year, just stay carefree, and the less you care about your accolades
off the field, the more we'll win as a team."The Texans have won three in a row
in dramatic fashion. They won twice in overtime and beat Buffalo last week
thanks to Johnathan Joseph's interception return for a touchdown in the waning
minutes.Houston hasn't won four in a row since 2015.Beating Jacksonville could
come down to how well Houston's offensive line plays. The Texans allowed 14
sacks in two lopsided losses to the Jaguars last season and have allowed 25 in
six games this season, the second-most in the league.Quarterback Deshaun Watson
played last week with a partially collapsed lung and a broken rib."I'm fine now.
I'm healthy," he said. "I'm cleared to practice, cleared to do everything. I'm
good."Bortles should be wary, too. He has been sacked eight times in the past
two games while playing behind an injury-riddled line. And now the Jaguars have
to deal with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.Equally concerning are the team's 14
turnovers and five takeaways."It has not been what we wanted or what we expected
or planned for
Youth Ronnie Harrison Jerseys ," Bortles said. "Everybody knows that. You learn from it, you put it in the past and you move on. You have to find a way to get
back on track and get back to playing like we did against the Jets or against
New England or late last year. That is all we are focusing on: getting back to
playing the kind of football and the execution level that we know we can
do."Here are some other things to know about the Texans and Jaguars:BACK TO
BASICSJaguars coach Doug Marrone focused on fundamentals in practice all week,
with several players saying they essentially returned to training camp mode in
Week 7. Some might consider it a desperation move, but Marrone defended his
decision to go back to square one."Anytime you see football being played as
poorly as we have been playing, then it comes down to fundamentals," he said.
"That is my philosophy."HAL RETURNSTexans safety Andre Hal, who is in remission
after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, resumed practicing this week. He
won't play against the Jaguars
Ronnie Harrison Jerseys Stitched , but gave the team an emotional lift this week. Hal was diagnosed with the disease in May and immediately began treatment."I'm
in the best shape of my life just from working out all the time, eating right,
getting closer to God, getting closer to myself, finding out who I am, stuff
like that," Hal said. "I'm a better person."PASSING LEAGUEWatson and Bortles
have three games each with at least 375 yards passing this season. MINNEAPOLIS
(AP)The Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings, teams that fell one victory
shy of the Super Bowl last season
Youth Justin Blackmon Jerseys , will hold joint practices in August.The teams announced the venture Thursday. They will practice Aug. 15-16 together at
Minnesota’s new, sprawling practice facility in the Twin Cities suburb of Eagan.
They will play a preseason game Aug. 18.It will be Jacksonville’s third set of
joint practices since coach Doug Marrone took over in 2017. The Jaguars
practiced at New England and hosted Tampa Bay during training camp last year.The
Jaguars and Vikings came up just short of the Super Bowl, which was played in
Minneapolis. Jacksonville led the Patriots by 10 points in the fourth quarter
before losing 24-20 in the AFC championship game. Minnesota lost 38-7 at
eventual champion Philadelphia in the NFC title game, failing to become the
first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium.—
