The Seattle Seahawks are flying across the country to face a red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars team that just knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.

The Jags are the favorites in this one, but it might be a bit of recency bias. I know the Seahawks just lost, but they’re one of the best teams in the league on both sides of the ball, and the Jags are still figuring things out, especially in the pass game, despite their 4-1 record.

This should be a very close and entertaining matchup. Here are some storylines, players to watch, and bold predictions for Sunday’s game.

Key Storylines

Can Trevor Lawrence build on the Chiefs’ win?

Trevor Lawrence seems to finally be settling into Liam Coen’s offense. He wasn’t great to start the year, throwing for 845 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions through the first four weeks, but he had a great game against Kansas City, where he threw for 221 yards and a touchdown while adding two scores on the ground.

The question is, can he keep building on that performance? The Jags have been a run-first offense all year, but if Lawrence can keep playing how he did last week, they’ll be a very dangerous team in the AFC. However, Seattle’s defense is very good and could give him some issues, so it’ll be interesting to see which side wins out.

Can the Jags get after Sam Darnold?

One of the weaknesses of the Jaguars’ team is their pass rush. Through five games, the Jags have seven sacks, and this week they play a Seattle offensive line that’s very good at protecting their QB. Sam Darnold has had a clean pocket on almost every throw this year, which has enabled him to throw for 1,200+ yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Arik Armstead and Travon Walker lead the team with 2.5 and 2.0 sacks, respectively, but outside of them, nobody has more than one. Opposing quarterbacks have had all day to throw, which is a big reason the Jags are giving up 250 passing yards per game.

If they want to beat the Seahawks, they’re going to need to put some pressure on Darnold. He’s too good when he has all day to throw, so if Walker and Armstead can get home three or four times, they will have a much better chance to win this game.

How much damage with Jaxson Smith-Njigba do?

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is off to an incredibly hot start to the season, catching 34 passes for 534 yards and two touchdowns in five games. He’s been one of the best receivers in the NFL this year, and this week, he plays one of the worst passing defenses in the league.

The Jags currently rank 27th in the league in passing yards allowed per game. Part of that is due to their pass rush, but most of it is due to their inability to cover on the backend. It hasn’t really hurt them this season; they’ve still been able to hold their opponents to 20 points per game, but eventually it will bite them.

If the Jags let JSN go for 120+ yards and a touchdown, they’re going to make their lives much more difficult than they need to be. They need to double him and make someone else beat them, because so far, nobody else in that receiving room has made much of an impression.

Players to Watch

• Travis Etienne (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars)

The vibe around Travis Etienne has changed dramatically since the start of the season. He was being talked about as a trade candidate before the year started, and now he’s one of the most efficient backs in football. He’s averaging 88.6 rushing yards per game behind a 5.8 average, and while the pass game has struggled at times, he’s single-handedly kept this offense afloat early this year.

Etienne was quiet against the Chiefs as Trevor Lawrence went off, but this is a great bounce-back spot. The Seahawks have a tough run defense, but I expect them to give it to him early and often, both as a runner and receiver. If the Jags win, expect Etienne to play a big role.

• Byron Murphy (DT, Seattle Seahawks)

The Seahawks have had a pass rush by committee this season, but it’s been working. They have 13 sacks in five games, but their best pass rusher has definitely been Byron Murphy.

Murphy leads the team in pressures (15), hurries (11), and sacks (2.5). If anyone’s going to get after Trevor Lawrence on Sunday, it’s going to be Murphy. If he can live in the Jags backfield and make Lawrence’s life more difficult than it needs to be, the Seahawks will have a good chance to win this game.

• Sam Darnold (QB, Seattle Seahawks)

We’ve talked about Trevor Lawrence, we’ve talked about Travis Etienne, and we’ve talked about Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But we haven’t talked about Sam Darnold yet, and he may be the biggest X-factor in this game.

Darnold is proving to everyone that 2024 was not a fluke. He’s played like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for a year and a half now, and it’s time to put some respect on his name.

Darnold has carved up opposing defenses all season, and like we said earlier, the Jags’ passing defense is one of the worst in the league in terms of yards allowed. With JSN and Cooper Kupp out wide, there’s no reason Darnold can’t have a big game against the Jags and help the Seahawks score 28+ points.

Bold Predictions

Trevor Lawrence throws for under 170 yards

In five games this year, Trevor Lawrence has never been held under 170 yards, but I think he’s going to have a hard time on Sunday. I think Seattle will be able to put pressure on him somewhat consistently, and even though he had a good game on Monday, I think Brian Thomas Jr. is still building a connection with Lawrence.

I just don’t see the Jags scoring a whole lot of points in this game, and I think most of their damage on offense will come on the ground, not through the air.

JSN has more receiving yards than the Jags’ entire WR room

We’ve talked about how good Jaxon Smith-Njigba is, and I believe he’s in for another big game this weekend. The Jags’ passing defense isn’t very good, and nobody has proven they can stop JSN this year. I think Sam Darnold will look his way early and often, and with the struggles I think Jacksonville will have through the air, my bold prediction is that JSN will have more yards than the entire Jags receiving core.

Seahawks win by 7+

This is probably a very bold take, but I think the wrong team is favored in this one. The Chiefs killed themselves with penalties last week, and the week before that, the Jags beat the 49ers, who had a very injured Brock Purdy under center. On the other hand, the Seahawks just went toe-to-toe with one of the best offenses in the league, and have been on a tear since Week 2.

I think I just trust the Seahawks offense more. The Jags are good, don’t get me wrong, but I need to see Trevor Lawrence do it a few more times before I’m fully on board with him being a top QB. I also think the Seahawks’ defense is a few steps ahead of the Jaguars. So give me Seattle by a touchdown or more.