In Week 8, the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) return home to TIAA Bank Field to host the New York Jets (1-5) at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast regionally on CBS, locally on WJAX-47. Here are five notable stats and quotes surrounding Sunday's matchup:
Turnover Time: In Week 7 against Cincinnati, the Jaguars registered four takeaways, including two from S Ronnie Harrison (fumble recovery and an INT), an INT from LB Myles Jack and a pick six from DE Yannick Ngakoue. The Jaguars three fourth-quarter INTs marked the first time in franchise history that the team posted three or more INTs in the fourth quarter of a single game. Ngakoue's TD marked the Jaguars' 10th defensive TD since Doug Marrone took over as head coach in 2017, tied for the most in the NFL (Baltimore and Chicago) during that span.
Quotable: "Give credit to the players. Myles' [Jack] was a heck of an interception. It was empty, he was anticipating quick game and they gave it to him, so he stayed right where he needed to be, worked off of the quarterback and was able to get a pick. Same thing with Ronnie [Harrison]. You can really see that they were executing their fundamentals last week and we had some opportunities. So, if we can keep cashing in on that obviously that helps our football team win games." – Defensive Coordinator Todd Wash
Big-Play Success: Through seven weeks, the Jaguars have totaled 36 plays of at least 20 yards, tied with New England for the second-most in the NFL (Kansas City, 38). RB Leonard Fournette has totaled six plays of at least 20 yards, while WR DJ Chark Jr. has an AFC-leading 12 receptions of 20-plus yards in addition to a 20-yard rush. Jacksonville's 36 plays of at least 20 yards are the most through the first seven weeks of a season in franchise history.
Quotable: "It was big. I had guys go up and make plays on the ball and then guys catch it and then go make plays. And then somehow the seas parted, and I somehow got 20 yards running the ball. But it's definitely encouraging when you're moving the ball in chunks like that." – QB Gardner Minshew II on explosive plays against Cincinnati
Lambomatic: K Josh Lambo was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season after scoring 13 points against Cincinnati, including four field goals and one extra point. His 18 made field goals are tied with Arizona K Zane Gonzalez for the most in the NFL this season, and he and Baltimore K Justin Tucker are the only kickers with at least 15 field goal attempts who have made all their field goal tries. Dating back to last season, Lambo has made 20 consecutive FGs, tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history. He has made all 33 of his attempts in home games since signing with the Jaguars in 2017 and joins former Jaguars K Josh Scobee as the only players in franchise history to win AFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice in a single season.
Quotable: "I send him out there, and I feel like he's going to make it every time. I think that's the best thing you can say. When you're a coach and we get the distances pregame. And when I get those numbers, and I put him out there, I just expect him to make it. So, I have the highest level of confidence when we throw him out there." – Head Coach Doug Marrone
Rookie Tandem: The Jaguars are the first team in NFL history to have a rookie QB with a passer rating of at least 95.0 (min. 100 pass attempts) and a rookie with at least 5.0 sacks through the team's first seven games of a season. QB Gardner Minshew II has had a stellar start to his rookie season, completing 139 of 226 passes for 1,697 yards and 10 TDs for a 95.7 passer rating. Minshew, who has won Pepsi Rookie of the Week four times this season, has also gained 173 yards on the ground. First-round DE Josh Allen (No. 7 overall) leads all rookies in the NFL with 5.0 sacks, including a sack in three consecutive games. He is the first Jaguars rookie since DE Yannick Ngakoue in 2016 to post at least 1.0 sack in three straight games.
Quotable: "[Josh Allen is a] good football player. We knew that coming in. I think you're only seeing the surface. I really do. I think that he has the ability to be one of those players that are going to be able to play at a high level for a long period of time. I think that he's handled himself really well. I think Calais Campbell's been a big influence in that. I can't speak for Josh. That's what I see. I think that was smart on Josh for him to find someone like Calais and do that stuff, and he's playing well, but he has so much growth left. I mean he's going to get so much better. He's playing well for us, but we really have high expectations for him and what he can do." - Head Coach Doug Marrone
AFC Leaders: Third-year RB Leonard Fournette leads the AFC in rushing yards (715) and yards from scrimmage (918) this season, while second-year WR DJ Chark Jr. leads the AFC in receiving yards (581) and receiving TDs (tied with Indianapolis WR T.Y. Hilton with five). Fournette's 485 second-half rushing yards and 506 rushing yards after contact lead the league, while Chark's eight receptions of at least 30 yards are the most by any player in the NFL entering Week 8. The Jaguars are the only team in the NFL whose leading rusher and leading receiver attended the same college as the rising stars were roommates and teammates at Louisiana State University.
Quotable: "We are going to run the football because we have a very, very talented group of backs back there that are playing very good football right now. Leonard [Fournette] is doing a great job of seeing the hole and getting yards after contact, but overall when you are in the top five in the NFL in anything, with the exception of turnovers or something of that nature, that is a good thing and our goal is to stay there." – Jaguars Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo
Every week during the 2019 season, Jaguars Public Relations Assistant David Wolf will write five key stats with supporting quotes about the Jaguars' upcoming game. A Chapel Hill, N.C. native, Wolf joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in May 2018.
