In Week 7, the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to the City of Los Angeles for the first time in franchise history to face the Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 4:25 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS nationally and WJAX locally.
Below are some key stats and quotes to get you ready for game day.
COLE BLOODED: WR Keelan Cole Sr. caught six passes for 143 yards in Week 6 against Detroit, marking the most receiving yards by a Jaguars player in a single game since WR DJ Chark Jr. totaled 164 receiving yards on Oct. 6, 2019 against the Panthers. Cole's standout performance was highlighted by two catches for 30-plus yards, including a 51-yard grab in the third quarter. Cole, who entered the league as an undrafted rookie in 2017, has posted four 100-yard receiving games in his career, the second-most by an undrafted player in franchise history, trailing former WR Allen Hurns. With 38 receiving yards this weekend, Cole would become the 15th player and only the second undrafted player to eclipse 2,000 receiving yards in franchise history.
QUOTABLE: "Honestly, I always saw it. Last year during camp, during OTAs and everything, I thought he was as good as anybody we had. So, ever since I've been here, I've seen what Cole can be and really any time he's gotten on the field he's shown that, and I still think he can continue to grow … We're putting him in positions to where he can get more balls and I have a ton of faith in him too." – QB Gardner Minshew II
ROOKIE 1-2 PUNCH:Rookie RB James Robinson and rookie WR Laviska Shenault Jr. have both jumped out to stellar starts through the first six games of their young careers. Robinson ranks second among all NFL rookies this season with 569 scrimmage yards (362 rushing, 207 receiving) while Shenault ranks third among rookies with 26 receptions. Their combined 49 receptions are the most by any rookie duo in the NFL.
What makes Robinson and Shenault's rankings even more impressive is the fact that NFL rookies have combined for 1,300-plus scrimmage yards in each of the last five weeks. With 1,305 total scrimmage yards this week, the 2020 rookie class will have the most combined scrimmage yards by rookies through Week 7 since 1970.
Shenault played collegiately at Colorado and in a trip to Los Angeles to face Southern California during his junior season, he caught nine passes for 72 yards and rushed two times for 46 yards and a TD.
QUOTABLE: "I think it's fun to have a player like him. I think he can do it in a lot of different things. I still think he's a young player. He's a guy that is a highly-motivated competitor. I think you see that on game day. I think he's someone that when he gets the football, you know he's going to fight for all those extra yards. He's very difficult to tackle. So I think it's still challenging for us just to make sure that we put him in all those right situations and get him going." – Head Coach Doug Marrone on WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
IT'S SCHO-TIME:LB Joe Schobert signed with the Jaguars in March 2020 and has made an immediate impact through six games. The fifth-year linebacker has started every game for the Jaguars and is tied for the team lead this season with 47 tackles. Schobert gave Jaguars fans a glimpse of his play-making abilities when he posted his first takeaway of the season in Week 6, intercepting Lions QB Matthew Stafford. Schobert is the only player in the AFC this season with at least 47 tackles and one INT. The Wisconsin alumnus is the only player in the NFL over the last two seasons to total 150-plus tackles and at least five INTs.
QUOTABLE: "I think it's a combination [of] being in the right place and the right time and taking advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself. So, you have to take advantage of the opportunities when they come your way because NFL quarterbacks aren't giving them out like candy. I [have] been able to do that, take advantage of that, put myself in the right spot, and a lot of that putting yourself in the right spot comes with study in the game week." – LB Joe Schobert on creating takeaways
SECOND-YEAR 'SLINGER: QB Gardner Minshew IIlooks to improve to 3-0 in NFL games played in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones as the team heads west this weekend. While this will be the only trip to the west coast for the Jaguars during the 2020 regular season, Jacksonville played at Denver and Oakland in 2019. In both contests, Minshew orchestrated fourth quarter game-winning drives. Through six games this season, he has totaled 1,682 passing yards and 11 TDs on 162 completions. Minshew's 162 completions lead the NFL this season entering Week 7.
Sunday's game won't be the first time Minshew and Chargers QB Justin Herbert have squared off. The two young quarterbacks battled in an epic duel when Minshew led No. 25 Washington State past No. 12 Oregon on Oct. 20, 2018. Minshew threw for 323 yards and four TDs to Herbert's 270 yards and one TD and the Cougars beat the Ducks, 34-20.
In Minshew's final collegiate game in the Golden State (at Stanford on Oct. 27, 2018), he completed 40 of 50 passes for 438 yards and three TDs.
QUOTABLE: "It's these trials that produce perseverance and that produce endurance and there's no shortcut to get there. You don't have all easy times and then everything just all of a sudden is just going to work out for you. Sometimes you have to go through these tough spots and I think we're growing a lot as a team right now and I really do believe that we're going to come out better at the other side of this." – QB Gardner Minshew II
GET IN THE GAME: Election Day is nine days following Jacksonville's matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Jaguars have extended their focus behind the football field this year and launched an organization-wide commitment to voter education organized by players and coaches with a call for civic engagement. Several Jaguars players will be voting for the first time this year while Jaguars front office employees will be serving as poll workers on Election Day. The campaign has included activations via social media, grassroots activities encouraging voting and public service announcements by players and coaches, including Head Coach Doug Marrone and QB Gardner Minshew II.
The Jaguars, in partnership with the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office, has established a secure vote-by-mail ballot drop box in Lot J at TIAA Bank Field for the final week of Florida's early voting window. Duval County voters can take advantage of the drop site from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. beginning Monday, Oct. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 1.
QUOTABLE: "We challenge everyone to exercise their democratic duty to take the time to register and vote. For me, simply voting is not enough. I think it's crucial to encourage and empower others around me to take advantage of the opportunity to let their voice be heard." – WR Chris C
