It remains to be seen how Ogunbowale handles things as the lead back. Prior to Robinson's injury the Jags ranked 23rd in the league averaging 105 yards per game but fared much better (seventh) with a 4.6-yard average. James Robinson was a productive back before rupturing his Achilles in the loss to the Jets, leaving Dare Ogunbowale and Nathan Cottrell to fill the void. Stop me if you've heard this trend before: Jacksonville can run the ball effectively but doesn't rack up a ton of yards because they're generally playing from behind and can't afford to keep it on the ground. He needs to be more accurate and more consistent in order for the passing game to get back on track. Getting him back in the mix would help as well, but much of this is on Jones. Nelson Agholor had to sit out the Bills game with a concussion and his presence was missed. He should have Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne back at full strength as well as tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. One way to do that is by running the ball effectively early to set up some favorable situations for Jones to take advantage of. McDaniels needs to get Mac Jones back on track after a couple of subpar outings. The Patriots should be able to have some success through the air in this game facing a secondary that includes corners Tyson Campbell, Shaquill Griffin and Nevin Lawson with safeties Daniel Thomas, Andre Cisco and Andrew Wingard. That ranks 27th, and is indicative of teams being able to hit big plays against the Jags while racing out of big leads before throttling back in the second half. But a more telling statistic is the 7.2 yards per pass the Jags secondary coughs up. In another example of the Jaguars constantly facing huge deficits, Jacksonville allows just 229.7 yards per game through the air, which ranks 14th in the league. If Stevenson returns look for Josh McDaniels to get the tandem going early and often in an effort to move the ball, get the lead and keep Mac Jones comfortable. Harris turned in a solid 100-yard, three TD performance in the loss to the Bills and will look to get his partner, Rhamondre Stevenson, back in to fold after the rookie sat out due to COVID protocols. The Patriots will look to keep Damien Harris going. That group hasn't been terrible but spends too much time on the field. The Jags feature former Patriot Malcom Brown, DaVon Hamilton and Dawuane Smoot up front with linebackers Myles Jack, Josh Allen, Damien Wilson and Jihad Ward, although Jack and Allen missed Sunday's loss to the Jets due to COVID protocols and the team has since place 11 additional players on the reserve list. But Jacksonville isn't overly stout up front either, allowing 123.5 yards (24th) per game on the ground and 4.2 yards per play, which is middle of the pack at 14th. Part of that is due to the many deficits the team faces each week, allowing opponents to keep the ball on the ground in an effort to run out the clock. The Patriots continue to show their physicality while running the football each week and the Jaguars have had trouble stopping it all season.
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