The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1st place in the AFC South and are 4th in the AFC Playoff Picture. If Jacksonville defeats Tennessee in their season-finale, they will win their division for the second straight year.
They can still clinch a playoff berth with a loss, but this must happen. If Baltimore defeats Pittsburgh and Las Vegas defeats Denver, Jacksonville would have the 7th seed.
The team opened the practice window of their star wide receiver.
The Jacksonville Jaguars designated their star wide receiver for return from injured reserve
The star wide receiver suffered a significant injury in Week 13
Kirk was having a solid second season with the team. He had 57 receptions on 85 targets for 787 yards and three receiving touchdowns in 12 games.
Who replaced him in the lineup?
Parker Washington has taken over in the slot for the injured Kirk. Washington has 15 receptions on 20 targets for 121 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Will he play?
It’s unclear whether the wide receiver will play this week. Head coach Doug Pederson gave a brief update on Monday:
“Christian [Kirk], I’ll get more information, he’s doing well. He’s doing really well. Yes, I would say there’s a potential to activate his window come Wednesday.
We’ll see where he’s at there in a couple of days, which would be positive if he could do something this week. We’ll wait and see.
Yeah, it was definitely a bad injury for him and bad for our offense. He’s in a position right now to maybe help us this week and we’ll see where he’s at.
If we go ahead and open his window on Wednesday and get him out there, see what he can do. You definitely want your best players on the field this time of year and he’s one of those players for us.”
What impact does Christian Kirk have on the offense?
Christian Kirk positively impacts the Jaguars’ offense when he plays. Here are the advanced stats per NFL Research:
When Kirk is in the lineup, the offense averages 23.8 points per game, 346.8 yards per game, and has an 8-4 record. The offense ranks 9th in points and 12th in total yards per game.
When he is not playing, the offense averages 18 points per game, 312.0 yards per game, and has a 1-3 record. The offense ranks 28th in points and 21st in total yards per game.
Trevor Lawrence plays better with Kirk in the lineup. When Kirk is in the lineup, he has a 67.9% completion percentage, 14 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, a 94.4 passer rating, and an 8-4 record.
When Kirk is not in the lineup, Lawrence struggles. When Kirk is not in the lineup, he has a 57.4% completion percentage, 5 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, a 71.5 passer rating, and a 0-3 record.
Hopefully, Christian Kirk will return to the lineup this week. They need him.
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