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'Dude's unstoppable': Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley enjoys two-touchdown performance vs. Titans
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- 'Dude's unstoppable': Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley enjoys two-touchdown performance vs. Titans
Calvin Ridley 's talent doesn't go unnoticed inside the Jacksonville Jaguars locker room.
"I mean, dude's unstoppable," Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said after the team's 34-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday. "He's a great route-runner, great energy, is explosive with the ball in his hands and once he gets in a rhythm, he's hard to stop. I think he showed it today, so he's big for us."
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Ridley set the tone early and often against Tennessee, catching seven passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. It marked the receiver's first 100-yard performance since Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills .
Takeaways: Jaguars cruise to victory in 34-14 bounce-back game vs. Titans
His two-touchdown performance snapped a five-game streak of not catching a touchdown, the longest of his career, according to ESPN .
Though many outside the Jaguars' building have commented on his up-and-down season (by the numbers), the sixth-year wideout genuinely doesn't care.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) makes the catch for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at EverBank Stadium.
"I promise you [I don't care]. I wish you can feel my soul. I don't care about you all that much," Ridley said.
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"Not you all, but work is my job. Sometimes my job is hard. I have a hard job, but I am confident in my ability to play football. But I don't care too much what people be talking about. I'll tell you that."
Ridley has been a consummate professional since joining the Jaguars this year. Even though he is not always involved in the game plan as heavily as he was Sunday, he doesn't complain even though there have been opportunities when it might've been warranted.
"I am going to do whatever I can to help my coaches feel ok and help this team win games and helps keep going. That is what I am about," said Ridley. "It don't matter. Winning games and I want to be happy with my teammates."
Calvin Ridley expected to be major part of Jaguars game plan Sunday
Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) attempts to strip the ball from Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium on Nov. 19, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Ridley entered Sunday's game with a feeling his workload would be heavy. He fully expected to be targeted early and often.
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"I knew today was going to be my day," he said when asked if the game plan dictated that he would be showcased Sunday.
Not only did Ridley catch seven passes, but he also had an 18-yard carry, giving him another way to get the ball in his hands.
"Calvin played extremely well today," said head coach Doug Pederson. "He kind of let the game just unfold before his eyes and really just ran the routes that [Jaguars offensive coordinator] Press [Taylor] called. Trevor [Lawrence] did the rest, but it was really good to get Calvin the type of game today that he's capable of playing."
Lawrence said that it's sometimes hard to tell who will be the hot hand from one game to another due to the number of good pass-catchers the team has, but he knew Ridley was capable of putting on the performance he did.
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"If we get the right look, the right situation for certain plays, you know that he can really take advantage of them. We typically call them at the right time and we get the right look, but you're hoping everything lines up," said Lawrence.
"If it does, like it did today for him, he had a great day. Just some great catches, great separation on some of his routes. He did an awesome job."
Ridley's first touchdown came during the first quarter from three yards out.
He lined up outside on Lawrence's left, running a pseudo-stacked route with receiver Christian Kirk slightly behind and to the right of him. As Kirk drew underneath coverage, the pair of wideouts essentially played a high-low concept, allowing for Ridley to carry his route up and to toward the back of the end zone.
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Lawrence completed the pass perfectly where only Ridley could catch it and the rest is history. It looked so routine because, well, it was, Ridley said.
"The first [touchdown] we practiced it. I can show you the practice clip. It was the same exact route, catch, look and that is how you play football," he added.
Kirk, the other player involved on that side of the play, praised Ridley after the game, calling him a "big part of our offense."
"I'm super happy for him," Kirk said. "I thought we did a great job of getting him involved, getting him a good amount of targets and he was able to capitalize, so just a mismatch out there. It just helps out this offense tremendously when he's playing like that."
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Zay Jones opens the offense up for Ridley, others
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones (7) pulls in a pass for a 6 yard gain while being defended by Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton (26) during first quarter action. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, November 19, 2023. The Jaguars led 13 to 0 at the half. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
Jaguars veteran wideout Zay Jones returned today for the first time since Week 5 against the Bills. He caught four passes for 20 yards, which doesn't seem like a lot, but his presence alone makes a difference.
"He does a great job making plays when his number is called. Obviously today we were kind of getting him back, getting him back going. Like you said, it wasn't anything crazy numbers-wise, but he has a real affect on this team and the offense when he is playing," said Lawrence, adding that he believes Jones opens things up for the offense using his speed.
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Ridley also responded in kind, saying that he likes it when the team has the entire corps healthy and playing.
"Obviously, Kirk is a beast and Evan [Engram], but when we complete core, I mean, come on. You know what I am saying? When we have our complete core, we are more comfortable," said Ridley.
"We communicate better. Zay is one of the leaders in our room. It just helps the offense settle down and we have a lot of options to make ourselves a part of the offensive style."
With Jones healthy, Ridley, Kirk, Engram and other players will get involved more often, able to take advantage of defenses respecting Jones and his ability.
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Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Calvin Ridley talks two-touchdown performance vs. Titans
