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Costello’s call

The Jets are 1-4 all-time in Jacksonville and have not played well there. The trend continues this week. The Jets look better than last week (how could they not?) but come up short.

Jaguars 27, Jets 20

Marquee matchup

Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette vs. Jets defensive line

This is a strength vs. strength matchup. Fournette leads the AFC with 715 rushing yards. The Jets enter this game having allowed just one 100-yard rusher this season (Ezekiel Elliott, 105 yards). In his third season, Fournette has been able to stay healthy and has looked like he did at LSU.

“He’s an SEC running back,” Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. “He’s been used to taking hard hits and dishing them out since his freshman year in college. That’s his mentality. He goes in knowing that in his head he can run over anybody he sees in the hole. If you’re a lighter guy, he’s going to try to run you over. If you’re a bigger guy, he might cut or spin, that’s something he’s good at spinning out of tackles. He’s just a guy that can do both.”

The Jaguars have the No. 5 rushing offense in the league, averaging 140.1 yards per game. The Jets are 11th in the NFL, allowing 92.2 yards per game.

Four downs

Sam on the rebound: Quarterback Sam Darnold played the worst game of his life Monday against the Patriots, finishing with a 3.6 quarterback rating. His teammates and coaches say Darnold has shaken off that game and expect him to bounce back this week.

“I told him, it’s only up from here,” running back Le’Veon Bell said. “You can’t play any worse. He looked at me and laughed, but he understands what I’m saying. He came out and responded with great practices, so it’s going to be fun.”

The Jaguars’ defense is not a pushover, but it is not in the same class as the Patriots’ defense, which should help Darnold and his offensive line this week. Darnold, who had the toenail on his left big toe removed this week, said he knows what went wrong and how to fix it.

“Honestly, I think the biggest thing for me is I was thinking too much out there, I wasn’t keeping things simple enough, I was trying to do too much and when I do that, I get myself into trouble,” he said.

Minshew mania: The Jaguars thought they had solved their quarterback issues when they signed free agent Nick Foles to a four-year, $88 million deal in March. Then, Foles broke his collarbone in Week 1 and they turned to rookie Gardner Minshew.

Minshew, who is known for his mustache, has played well for the Jaguars. He has 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 10 touchdowns with two or fewer interceptions in his first seven career games. The Jets also have to worry about him running the ball. He has gained 173 yards on 30 carries this year, the most by a quarterback other than Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott.

Missing Mosley: The Jets had C.J. Mosley back for one week, and now he is out again. The big free-agent signing has not been able to stay on the field. He was initially thought to have a groin injury, but now it sounds more serious and possibly season-ending. The Jets also look like they will be without backup Neville Hewitt, who suffered a stinger against the Cowboys. That leaves rookie Blake Cashman and Brandon Copeland, who usually plays outside linebacker, as their probable starters against the run-heavy Jaguars.

“It hasn’t been an ideal situation, losing some guys,” coach Adam Gase said.

Big, big challenge: Jacksonville has a mountain in the middle of its defense with the 6-foot-8 Calais Campbell causing problems for offenses. The 33-year-old is having one of his best seasons and has three sacks this year.

“I think he’s at least a top-three most-underrated player in the NFL,” Bell said. “He’s a quick, explosive guy. It’s hard to run the ball his way. He gets in a lot of throwing lanes. He’s a big, tall guy, real disruptive.”

The Jets’ offensive line has had plenty of issues this season. Campbell could be its next one.

For more on the Jets, listen to this episode of the Jets podcast, “Gang’s All Here”:

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