Fournette gives Jaguars potential 'to be great', insists Lee

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense has the potential “to be great” thanks to the drafting of running back Leonard Fournette.

That is the verdict of wide receiver Marqise Lee, who is making the most of his opportunity in the absence of injured Allen Robinson.

Lee’s 65 yards on four receptions helped spark the Jaguars to a 44-7 victory over Baltimore at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, but it was the hard running of rookie Fournette – who carried 17 times for 59 yards and who had another 21 yards in the passing game – that was pivotal to unlocking the previously staunch Ravens’ defence.

After the emphatic victory, speedy wideout Lee said: “We can be a great offense. We have the opportunity to both score on the outside as far as our receivers and tight ends go, and we can run the ball – you have Leonard Fournette and Chris Ivory, and that is big.

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“I feel like Leonard has opened up a lot of options for us, as teams now have to focus on the run game, whereas in the last couple of years they did not have to respect that so much, and could back-up on the receivers.

“Now opponents have to focus on both aspects of the game, rather than just one. It has made it way easier for me. Way easier. It is a push and pull.”

Lewis’s ability to stretch the field left gaping holes across the middle and quarterback Blake Bortles exploited them, with tight end Marcedes Lewis the main beneficiary, with four receptions for 62 yards and three touchdowns.

Lee, in his fourth year since being drafted in the second round out of USC, knows there is pressure to be productive.

Though he has more dropped passes than any receiver this year, he maintains that the chemistry with Bortles is developing.

“Blake and I have slowly but surely been trying to get it together,” said Lee. “I worked with him in the off-season. Blake came down to California a lot. As far as each game goes, we just try to communicate and I tell him what I see, how I feel and why I ran the things I ran. He goes off that and tells me, ‘I want you to do this or try that’. We just want to be on the same page play-by-play and make sure we are on top of it.”

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The Jaguars are thin at the receiver position behind Allen Hurns and Lee, who was plagued by injury in his first two seasons, but he adds: “I don’t stress about the injuries any more”.

He added: “The first two years, it was something I was concerned about, but now it is about going out there and having fun.

“I think my turning point was when A-Rob (Allen Robinson) got hurt – I knew I had to step it up another level and I knew a lot of expectation would be coming my way. There is not pressure, though. My thing is this: I know what I got drafted for and I have to understand that I have a role to play. I’m not going to pressure myself to do more – I have to do the things I have been asked to do.

“But today was a good win, right? The main focus for us as an offense was avoid penalties and mistakes. We eliminated the penalties and turnovers on the offensive side and created turnovers on the defensive side and it came out perfect.”