ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Dallas Cowboys
The 1-8 Jacksonville Jaguars are set to take on the 6-3 Dallas Cowboys in London.
The Cowboys are trying to battle back from two consecutive losses, most recently falling to the Arizona Cardinals 28-17. The question circling the game seems to be whether or not Dallas quarterback Tony Romo will play after suffering a back injury two weeks ago. Romo as well as teammates Ronald Leary and Doug Free are expected to return from their injuries to play in this London game.
The Jaguars are also coming of a loss… 33-23 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
According to Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley his team is finally starting to understand what it means to have a relentless offensive line as the offense improves every week.
“We talked earlier in the year about developing that type of a mind set with our offensive line and hopefully it spreads through the team, ” Bradley said. “But we really started with them about being relentless and owning that part of it because that’s what it takes with our scheme; I think the last couple weeks and how we’ve run the ball, I think that it’s been more real for them now and they’ve taken ownership into that relentless part of it.”
The Jaguars have successfully reached the quarterback plenty of times this year with 27 sacks but the secondary struggled with blown coverages at the start of the season making it difficult for good defensive results. The unit has improved; where in the first four games it gave up 25 pass plays of 20 or more yards, it has only allowed 14 in the past five games.
“They’ve (Dallas) got a real good offensive line. They jell together well… they run the ball well and he’s (DeMarco Murray) just tough to bring down. So for us it’s going to be making sure we stay in our gaps and get hats on them. Get people to the ball and get them to the ground. So I think it’s going to be difficult, but for us… I think we should be able to handle it,” said defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Atlanta Falcons in their second meeting this year. During the first the Bucs fell to the Falcons 56-14. The Falcons have a 2-6 record on the season, losing five consecutive games. After losing 22-21 last week, Falcons head coach Mike Smith has found himself under a lot of heat after the loss after some clock-management issues in last week’s London game.
As for the Bucs who are 1-7 in the season, they find themselves in last place in the NFC South. The Bucs announced earlier this week that quarterback Mike Glennon would not get the start this weekend… it will go to Josh McCown.
“They decided that it would be best for Josh to go ahead to get the start. For me things aren’t going to change for the way I prepare. I was in here all day watching film and I’ll be in here bright and early taking care of my business as usual and we’ll just keep preparing the same way and nothing is going to change with the way I work,” said Glennon.
Miami Dolphins vs. Detroit Lions
The Miami Dolphins will hit the road this weekend to take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Both teams are coming into the game with a three-game winning streak, but most recently the Lions are coming off a bye week after two one point wins.
The Dolphins find themselves at 5-3 after three straight seasons of being .500 or worse. Most recently, Miami crushed San Diego 37-0.
“When it comes down to it we are coming off three wins and that’s the bottom line. No matter if you win ugly or win pretty, you win, and that’s the bottom line in this league. We are here to win,” said quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Click here for audio from coaches and players:
Glennon on being benched for McCown.
