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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are all smiles after their latest blowout win.
The Jaguars took care of business on the road on Thursday Night, taking down the Baltimore Ravens with a 33-10 win that was not really as close as the score indicated. The Jaguars were never in danger of losing this one, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
So, who earned the game balls this week as the Jaguars improved to 6-2 after yet another win? We break it down below.
For the second week in a row, Trevor Lawrence was able to get things popping right out of the gate. Lawrence has been playing like an MVP all season long and he once again was able to get off to a hot start on Thursday. He threw for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns before the rain really came in and turned it into a running attack. This included a 52-yard completion to rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher, the rookie tight end's third big play in the last three games.
"To go down two weeks in a row now to start the season – which is something that we’ve been struggling at [and] has been a point of emphasis – starting faster and being better on the first drive of the game," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the game.
"I’m kind of yelling at [Trevor Lawrence] to run out of bounds, and he just finds 'Boerk' [Nate Boerkircher], and I just think he was very on when it was really a game. Like when it was mattering and things were going and it’s a back-and-forth football game early on, he was extremely sharp, accurate, and he played a really solid football game for us.”
Lawrence has been Steady Eddie for the Jaguars all year long, and Thursday was another example. The Jaguars have rarely needed Lawrence to make big plays at the end of games this year, and that is largely due to the amount of big plays he is making at the start of games ... such as the big completion to Boerkircher.
Ventrell Miller gets the nod this week after recording a team-high seven tackles and a key pass-breakup. Had Miller not tipped a pass during the first-half, it would have surely resulted in an explosive gain for the Ravens. Add in a few stellar tackles in space, and Miller once again looked like an ascending young linebacker who can only improve moving forward.
There are a few other players who also deserve consideration. Foyesade Oluokun had seven tackles, including the Jaguars' only sack of the night. Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis each had interceptions, while Travon Walker recorded two tackles for loss despite not being 100%. But it was Miller who was consistently getting the Jaguars off the field both against the run and the pass, and it is Miller who wins this week's defensive game ball.
The conditions were not exactly favorable for things like kicking or passing the ball, especially as the rain came down even harder during the second-half. That didn't stop Cam Little, though, with the Jaguars' third-year kicker making all four of his field goals and all three of his extra points. Little is now 14-of-16 on field goals this season, and he has not missed a kick since Week 3 against the New England Patriots.
“Dialed," Coen said about Little's performance. "I was very pleased with his – he has a lot of confidence. He has a lot of confidence right now. We have a lot of confidence in him, and he’s hitting it really good right now.”