Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Inside the Villain’s Venue

Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne (7) throws against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Jacksonville 34-20. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)

As the Broncos are just about ready to play host to the Jaguars, we thought that we’d mix things up with the opposition, too. That why I asked Daniel Lago from Black and Teal about Maurice Jones-Drew, why the Jags are struggling, and when he thinks the team will get its first win among other things.

Let’s step Inside the Villain’s Venue with Black and Teal.

Predominantly Orange: Now that Justin Blackmon is back, how do you see Maurice Jones-Drew’s job getting any easier if at all?

Black and Teal: Justin Blackmon definitely helps open up the field a little bit and should keep opposing defenses more honest against the pass, but Maurice Jones-Drew’s problems this year are as much his fault as the rest of the offense. Jones-Drew looks less explosive compared to years past and has looked over the hill for the most part this season. He can still provide 5 or so yards consistently, but his days as a big play threat are over. The poor interior offensive line play also hasn’t helped very much

PO: The Jags are an injured bunch, but what do you attribute the 0-5 start to the season to?

B & T: The Jaguars have a lot of issues – most of them stemming on offense – but by far the most direct reason for the team’s horrific start is the quarterback position. Blaine Gabbert has been historically bad in his 3 starts and Chad Henne has been marginally better at best. Honestly, the Jaguars could be a 7 or 8 win team if they had a mid-level quarterback and a pass rusher. Unfortunately those are probably the two most important positions in the sport.

PO: It looks like Chad Henne is set to start at QB against Denver, but he’s not performing much better than Blaine Gabbert. Does Denver have anything to worry about with Henne under center?

B & T: To be blunt, no. Chad Henne has shown he really isn’t anything more than a decent backup quarterback who can fill in for a game or two. He’s wildly inconsistent and has a tendency to throw it up for grabs. This will occasionally lead to a big play, but more often than not he just ends up being ineffective. If anything, expect Henne to look downfield often for Cecil Shorts III and Blackmon since he doesn’t have anything to lose at this point.

PO: When do the Jags get their first win?

B & T: That’s the million dollar question. It’s hard to find a win looking at the schedule right now, but their best chances probably come against the Cardinals at home in week 11 and the Bills at home in week 15. Gun to my head, I say they eke out a win against the Cardinals.

PO: Finally, your prediction for Sunday’s game?

I’m a bold man so I’ll go ahead and say it – the Jaguars will cover the spread this Sunday against the Broncos. I’m not crazy enough to pick the Jaguars to win, but 27 or so points is a lot to give for a spread. The Jaguars will get some garbage points at the end of the game if anything, but I think they’ll manage to hang around during the first half before the Broncos pull away.

Broncos 41 – Jaguars 21

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