PLAYER NOTES
–CB Tre Herndon has been cleared to return to practice. He practiced in full on Wednesday and will likely play Sunday after missing the Jaguars last three games with a hamstring injury.
–CB Tyler Patmon was added to the injury list and did not practice Wednesday after suffering a neck injury on Sunday in the Houston game.
–LB Donald Payne was new to the injury report. He did not practice Wednesday after suffering a knee injury against the Texans.
–RT Jermey Parnell (shoulder), C Brandon Linder (knee) and LG Andrew Norwell (foot), three of the team’s starting offensive linemen, were all limited in Wednesday’s practice.
–CB A.J. Bouye was a new addition to the injury report. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a calf injury.
–TE David Grinnage had 31 plays in his first career start last week. He finished with two catches for 17 yards.
–P Logan Cooke punted six times in the Philadelphia game, three of which went 54, 55 and 55 yards. But he also had a pair travel 26 and 37 yards and placed just two of his kicks inside the 20.
–DE Dante Fowler had the Jaguars only sack against Texans QB Deshaun Watson last week. It was just his second sack this season after finishing with 8.0 sacks in 2017.
–K Josh Lambo has now gone three consecutive games without attempting a field goal. In his previous 45 games in the NFL (13 with the Jaguars, 32 with San Diego), Lambo attempted at least one field goal in all but one of those 45 contests.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Carlos Hyde. The running game needs a boost and they’re hopeful that Hyde can be the answer, at least until Leonard Fournette is healthy enough to return to the lineup. Because that’s not likely to happen until Week 9 following the bye week, Hyde could play a key role this Sunday against the Eagles. With Fournette out again and Corey Grant lost for the season, the running attack has fallen exclusively to T.J. Yeldon. But he’s still nursing a sore ankle and can only be counted on for so much. Enter Hyde, a bruising runner at 230 pounds who is symbolic of what the Jaguars are looking for in a running back. Hyde even talks a mean game: “I run angry, downhill, smash-mouth football. That’s been my game ever since I started playing this game so I think I’ll fit in perfect here.” The running game needs help. Teams have looked past the Jaguars running game to concentrate on stopping Blake Bortles’ passing game. Hyde could be arriving in Jacksonville at just the right time.
GAME PLAN: If Carlos Hyde can emulate what Leonard Fournette did for the running game before the hamstring issue sent him to the sideline, the Jaguars can change their game plan approach. No longer will they have to rely on Blake Bortles passing to pick up a first down on a third-and-2 situation. The Jaguars have been limited the last three weeks with T.J. Yeldon handling the brunt of the running game, and not being particularly effective in the process. Bortles has offered the most help, as he’s gained 86 yards in 14 attempts (6.2 per carry) while Yeldon has gained 122 yards in 30 carries (4.1 average). All other backs have combined for just 28 yards in 13 carries. That’s why Hyde could be so important to the Jaguars, starting this week.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery vs. Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey. Jeffery continues to return to mid-season form after missing the first three games while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Since his return four games ago, he’s latched on to 25 receptions for 306 yards and four touchdowns. His size (6-3, 218) makes him tough to cover for most cornerbacks who are not built like that. Ramsey is 6-1, 208 but very physical. He’ll likely be assigned to Jeffery for much of the game. Ramsey has had some problems this year. While mostly covering Odell Beckham Jr. of the Giants in the opener, Beckham finished with 11 catches for 111 yards. Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill finished with 61 receiving yards on four catches (mostly against Ramsey) and last week, DeAndre Hopkins had three receptions for 50 yards. Ramsey didn’t talk much last week and didn’t say much after last week’s loss to Houston. He has yet to make an interception this year (four last season) and has just two pass defenses thus far.
–Eagles DT Fletcher Cox vs. Jaguars RG A.J. Cann. Cox is the enforcer in the middle of the Eagles defensive front. At 6-4, 310 pounds, he’s tough to block. He’s got good agility which has led to a career total of 38 sacks in 100 games thus far. Three of his four sacks this year have come in the last three weeks as he’s posted. Cox has been voted to the Pro Bowl each of the last three seasons. Likely to draw the assignment of stopping Cox is Cann who has been up and down in his play thus far. He’s been beaten several times, resulting in a sack of QB Blake Bortles and has been flagged for several penalties. But what Cann has been, is available. He’s started six of the seven games thus far, missing just one game (Tennessee) due to a triceps injury. He’ll likely draw some help from center Brandon Linder in trying to keep Cox away from quarterback Blake Bortles and opening some holes for Jaguars running backs to go through.
