Jacksonville Jaguars running game shows life behind great play from Brandon Linder
While the Jacksonville Jaguars should be ashamed of their inability to snag a win against a mega-depleted Kansas City Chiefs squad, they got an outstanding individual effort from Brandon Linder.
The Jacksonville Jaguars shouldn’t feel good about themselves after blowing a winnable game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but we spew enough negativity about this team. Let’s focus on something that went right on Sunday – the Jaguars finally had a running game.
Ivory’s health is a big reason why the Jaguars were finally able to rush the ball against a somewhat formidable Chiefs front, but the interior offensive line also did their part. Patrick Omameh has been a net positive since coming in at left guard for Luke Joeckel, and A.J. Cann has flashed amidst an inconsistent sophomore campaign.
All that taken into account,the offensive line comes and goes with Brandon Linder.
Linder was so good on Sunday that he made it onto Pro Football Focus’ list of top players from Sunday’s games:
7. Brandon Linder, C, Jacksonville Jaguars
In 49 pass-blocking snaps, Linder didn’t allow a single pressure in Jacksonville’s loss against the Chiefs, and was the only member of the Jaguars’ offensive line for whom that can be said. But his real work was in the running game, where he got the upper hand time and time again. Linder was able to consistently execute reach blocks on Dontari Poe and others on the Chiefs defensive line, and then get to the second level and take out a linebacker. This was an excellent performance from a player who has now forced himself into the top five of PFF’s center rankings.
Heading into the game, most projected Linder to struggle against the mountain of a man known as Dontari Poe, but the third year center held his own, showing steady growth with his ability to handle powerful defensive lineman.
While the offense appears to be crumbling right before our eyes, Linder is doing his best to try and bring some positivity to a disappointing unit.
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