The reeling Jaguars, who have lost two straight games, visit the Raiders (2-5) on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
Jacksonville (4-3) has slumped after winning four of its first five games. First-year coach Liam Coen now also has to navigate the loss of rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who will be placed on injured reserve after hurting his knee in practice Thursday.
Here are three things to know about the Jaguars entering Sunday’s game:
1. Is this who Lawrence is?
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $275 million extension in 2024, is one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.
He has yet to live up to that billing.
His quarterback rating ranks 34th among players with at least two starts. He is completing just 58.7 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, needs to make major improvements this season and beyond. Otherwise, the Jaguars will be stuck with an expensive quarterback with middling numbers.
Lawrence, 26, still has time to figure things out. Recent high picks like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have shown the folly of giving up on a talented passer too soon. But Lawrence needs to do something to prove he can remain the face of the franchise.
2. Hunter is a big loss
Hunter, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft, will be out at least four games.
It’s a disappointing setback for the two-way standout.
Hunter, 22, was starting to come into his own as a slot receiver. He had eight catches for 101 yards in his team’s loss to the Rams on Oct. 19.
Now the Jaguars will have to adjust. Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who reiterated during the team’s bye week he wants to be traded, could make sense as a target for Jacksonville ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Of course, the Jaguars also have to replace Hunter on defense. Someone will have to step up to take his snaps at cornerback.
3. Run game is off track
Jacksonville averaged 136 rushing yards per game during its 4-1 start. It was exactly how Coen, who helped the Buccaneers finish with the NFL’s fourth-most rushing yards as their offensive coordinator last year, wanted his team to look.
The run game has fallen off since then. The Jaguars have averaged 76.5 rushing yards per game during their losing streak.
Coen is hopeful a restful bye week will help his team up front. None of Jacksonville’s offensive linemen have been on the injury report this week.
“Getting a little bit healthier up front helps,” Coen said. “Being off a week and getting these guys feeling better to where we can get back to running the football, creating a little bit more movement up front, just creating a little bit more of an advantage. … Different variations can help as well, but just getting back to running the football a little bit more, a little bit more violence.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.