Jaguars preparing for more teams to focus on stopping Leonard Fournette

Jaguars have only two completions of 30 yards or more this season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.

Through six games Leonard Fournette has been everything the Jaguars were hoping for when they drafted him fourth overall. In Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams the rookie running back ran for for 130 yards. However 75 of those yards came on his very first touch, because after that long touchdown run the Rams limited Fournette to 55 yards on his next 20 carries (2.7 yards per attempt).

At times the Rams stuffed the box with eight and sometimes nine defenders. Without a consistent vertical threat in the passing game the Jaguars know opposing teams are going to copy the Rams blueprint. 

Recommended Videos



“We expect that from every team,” said Fournette who suffered a late ankle injury during Sunday’s loss. “At the end of the day we have to come together as a team and keep fighting. It doesn’t matter if they have 10 men in the box. Physical is our standpoint.”

Following the game Fournette said that his ankle wasn’t an issue, but the Jaguars will likely be cautious with him when they resume practice on Wednesday. 

Although teams are loading up to stop Fournette the Jaguars haven’t been able to take advantage of the 1-on-1 opportunities on the outside or use the play action pass to make teams pay for focusing on the run. In six games they’ve only completed two passes of 30 yards or more. Losing Allen Robinson to a season ending knee injury took away the Jaguars best deep threat and to this point nobody has been able to fill that void. 

“Sometimes there wasn’t a safety back deep and we didn’t capitalize on that,” said wide receiver Allen Hurns, who had three catches for 37 yards against the Rams. “I feel like teams who do that we have to gash them and we didn’t do that today. We have to find a way to make that happen because teams are going to watch this film and see this is what we can do to eliminate the run.”

On Sunday the Jaguars will face an Indianapolis Colts defense that is allowing 103.4 rushing yards (15th in NFL) per game. There’s little doubt that they will force the Jaguars to beat them with somebody other than Fournette. 

“Anytime you get 1-on-1 man coverage as a receiver it’s a bit disrespectful,” said quarterback Blake Bortles. “We have to show that we can beat that. We have to make them not do that and take advantage of when we get those opportunities."