JACKSONVILLE (6-8) at NEW YORK JETS (7-7)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Jaguars by 1 1/2
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Jaguars 6-8-0; Jets 8-6-0
SERIES RECORD: Series tied 8-8
LAST MEETING: Jets beat Jaguars 26-21 on Dec. 26, 2021, at East Rutherford, New Jersey.
LAST WEEK: Jaguars beat Cowboys 40-34 in OT; Jets lost to Lions 20-17
JAGUARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (10), PASS (10), SCORING (9)
JAGUARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (16), PASS (29), SCORING (21)
JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (24), PASS (15), SCORING (21).
JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (11), PASS (4), SCORING (4T).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Jaguars plus-4; Jets minus-3.
JAGUARS PLAYER TO WATCH: LT Walker Little. The 2021 second-round draft pick makes his first start of the season and fourth of his career. Little is replacing Cam Robinson, who tore the meniscus in his right knee against Dallas. Little, a former Stanford standout, missed most of the 2019 season after tearing a knee ligament in the opener and opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19.
JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Zach Wilson. The No. 2 overall selection last year will start his second straight game in place of the injured Mike White. Wilson was benched for three games to reset his mechanics and mental approach after struggling in the middle of the season. He had an up-and-down return last week, going 18 of 35 for 317 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
KEY MATCHUP: Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell and Jets WR Garrett Wilson. Campbell has emerged as one of the league’s top cornerbacks in his second season, while Wilson has already broken the Jets’ franchise records for receptions and yards receiving by a rookie.
KEY INJURIES: Jaguars DT Foley Fatukasi (ankle) missed both days of practice this week and won’t play on a short week against his former team. Fatukasi was a sixth-round pick of the Jets in 2018. … LB Travon Walker, the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, has a high ankle sprain that sidelined him last week. The Jaguars ruled him out for Thursday’s game. … ILB Chad Muma (ankle) played sparingly against the Cowboys, but could be back in the starting lineup Thursday. … Jets DT Quinnen Williams will be a game-time decision with a calf injury that sidelined him against Detroit. … WR Corey Davis is expected to return from a concussion after also sitting Sunday.
SERIES NOTES: The teams are tied 8-8 in the overall series, including the playoffs. The Jets beat the Jaguars 34-24 in the AFC divisional round in January 1999. Keyshawn Johnson caught a TD pass and ran for a score in the win, and Curtis Martin had two TD runs. … Boomer Esiason threw three touchdown passes in the Jets’ 27-10 win in the teams’ first meeting in 1995. … Stacey Mack had three TD runs in Jacksonville’s 28-3 win in 2002. … Byron Leftwich connected with Jimmy Smith on a 36-yard TD pass in the teams’ first overtime game to lead the Jaguars to a 26-20 victory in 2005. … Maurice Jones-Drew scored on two TD runs and the Jaguars blew out the Jets 41-0 in 2006 in the series’ only shutout. … Josh Scobee’s 21-yard field goal as time expired in regulation led Jacksonville to a 24-22 win in 2009. … Chandler Catanzaro’s 41-yarder in overtime lifted New York to a 23-20 win in 2017. … Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, squared off against Wilson, the No. 2 overall selection that year, and the Jets hung on for a 26-21 victory.
STATS AND STUFF: Jacksonville has lost four of its past five games on Thursday night. … Jaguars coach Doug Pederson is 6-0 in Thursday night games. … Lawrence has eight games with a passer rating over 100 this season, the most in franchise history. He’s tied with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts for second in the league. … LB Foye Oluokun leads the NFL with 156 tackles. … S Rayshawn Jenkins is coming off a career game. He finished with 18 tackles and two interceptions against the Cowboys, becoming the first player in NFL history to accomplish the feat. … The Jets have lost their past four games on “Thursday Night Football.” … New York is on a three-game losing streak that has damaged its playoff chances. … Zach Wilson had his second career 300-yard passing game last week, with both coming this season. … Garrett Wilson has set franchise rookie records with his 67 receptions and 966 yards receiving — with both marks leading NFL rookies this season. Wilson can become the first Jets player with 1,000 yards receiving since 2015, when both Brandon Marshall (1,502) and Eric Decker (1,027) accomplished the feat. … TE C.J. Uzomah had two touchdown catches last Sunday, including a 40-yarder that was the longest by a Jets tight end since Doug Jolley’s 60-yarder in 2005. … The Jets have 97 quarterback hits this season to lead the NFL … Rookie CB Sauce Gardner leads the NFL in overall coverage grade (88.7), opponent reception rate (44.1 percent), receptions allowed (26), opponent yards allowed (262) and yards after catch (74), according to Pro Football Focus. His 16 passes defensed also lead the league. … The Jets have held opponents to under 300 total yards nine times to top the NFL.
FANTASY TIP: Jaguars TE Evan Engram has 24 catches for 254 yards and three TDs in his past three games and could be a solid start against the Jets, who have done a great job shutting down wide receivers but have been susceptible to giving up big plays to tight ends.
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