It looks like the Jacksonville Jaguars will have a massive edge when they face off against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. Puka Nacua is dealing with an ankle injury and hasn't practiced for the game. Rightly, he will be held out for the London bout, and suddenly, defending Matthew Stafford and the Rams' passing game won't be nearly as challenging.
That said, the Jags cannot uncork the champagne just because Nacua is unavailable. After all, the Rams have other players ready to deliver if called upon for the London bout. And there's one in particular that could give the Jacksonville secondary trouble.
The Jaguars will need to contain Jordan Whittington in light of Puka Nacua's absence
With Puka Nacua having already been ruled out for Week 7, Davante Adams will step into the No. 1 receiver role. This isn't surprising when you take into account that the six-time Pro Bowl nod has played at a high level throughout most of his career and has the second-most receptions among Rams players. Having said that, he's struggled to reel in the football, reeling in a measly 47 percent of his targets for 396 yards.
This doesn't mean that the Jaguars must take Adams lightly, but they may need to worry about another Rams wide receiver, Jordan Whittington.
A sixth-round pick in 2024, Whittington showed promise as a rookie but hasn't gotten many opportunities behind Nacua and Adams. For the season, he has 10 catches for 112 yards on 13 targets.
With Nacua out of the picture, though, Whittington will most likely see an uptick in playing time. He mostly operates in the boundaries, so either the recently acquired Greg Newsome, with more time to get acclimated, or Montaric Brown could shadow him throughout the game.
The Jaguars will also need to worry about tight end Tyler Higbee. He just had four catches and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6 and could have a bigger target share against the Jacksonville secondary.
The Jaguars defense must step up vs. Matthew Stafford and the Rams
Matthew Stafford will surely miss Puka Nacua, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted, he got much better once he lost Calvin Johnson during his stint with the Detroit Lions, as he was forced to to look for other targets without his favorite receiver out of the equation. Something similar could happen with the Rams.
The veteran quarterback will need to adjust to Nacua's absence but most definitely has the firepower to put points on the scoreboard. That's where the Jaguars come in. They have the secondary to potentially slow down Stafford and his receivers. On the other hand, the pass rush hasn't been able to consistently bring the heat throughout the year. That needs to change.
If it does, and the Jaguars can disrupt Matthew Stafford's timing, their odds of going into their BYE in a position to make a playoff push once they return in Week 9.