The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) are coming off their first win of the season thanks in part to a breakout performance from rookie linebacker Telvin Smith. The Jaguars will host the Miami Dolphins (3-3) who are also coming off a victory and sit one and one-half games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East. The game will be played at the newly renovated Everbank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.
Defensive end Cameron Wake has been a premier pass rusher this season and currently leads all 4-3 defensive ends in overall rating (+19.6) and rushing the passer (+20.0). He has logged 17 hurries, seven hits, and five sacks so far this year. This week he will line up across from right tackle Austin Pasztor who will be making his fourth start of the season after suffering an injury before the season started. He struggled in pass blocking against the Titans two weeks ago (-3.5), but recovered and played much better against the Browns last week (+2.2). This match up will be an important one to watch because Wake will need to be slowed down in order for Blake Bortles to get time to deliver the ball to receivers.
Here are some other players to watch in this matchup:
Miami Dolphins
Cortland Finnegan – In Finnegan’s ninth year as a pro he has been successful doing something he hasn’t done before and that is getting hurries on the quarterback. The Dolphins cornerback currently has five hurries, which matches his single-season high and leads the league for corners.
Jared Odrick – Odrick has been equally good against the run and rushing the passer this season posting a +3.5 and +3.1 in the two categories, respectively. Odrick has also played 335 snaps without missing a tackle so far this season.
Brandon Albert – The Dolphins' left tackle has been one of the best in the league this year in our Pass Blocking Efficiency rating where he currently ranks fourth with a 97.4 mark.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Brandon Linder and Zane Beadles – The guard position has been a strength of the Jaguars' offense as the two have excelled in pass blocking while each has played all 463 offensive snaps. Linder has a +4.3 and Beadles has a +7.3 pass block rating so far.
Sen’Derrick Marks – Marks has created pressure on 21 of the 202 snaps he has rushed the passer. He currently ranks eighth among defensive tackles in the league in our Pass Rushing Productivity statistic.
Telvin Smith – Due to the season-ending injury suffered by starting linebacker Paul Posluszny, rookie Telvin Smith could be in line for more snaps. He showed that he deserves it after his +5.6 performance last week where he enjoyed a good day rushing the passer (+2.3) and in coverage (+2.5).
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