The Jaguars are sitting in a spot few teams can match right now, and it could set them up for an unusual postseason twist.
Through four games, Jacksonville is 3-1, with wins over the otherwise 3-0 Browns, the 2-1 Patriots, and the 2-1 Bengals. That start has put the Jaguars in position to chase the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The path is there, too. Jacksonville still has six division games left, and the Colts, Texans and Titans are a combined 2-10.
The next two come in London, where the Jaguars will face the injury-riddled Eagles and the disappointing Texans. A few tougher assignments remain - at Baltimore, at Chicago and at Dallas - but the rest of the schedule looks manageable, especially with the way this team is playing.
Right now, the Jaguars have the best odds of any team to win their division at -250. The bigger question is whether they can finish as the top team among the four AFC division winners.
If they do, Jacksonville could host a pair of playoff games in front of just 42,000 fans while the stadium is being renovated. That would make for a smaller postseason atmosphere and fewer ticket dollars than usual, but it is part of the deal when a team keeps playing in the middle of a major stadium project.
Even so, that is a much better problem than having to go through places like Buffalo, Kansas City, Baltimore or Cleveland.
In the Jaguars’ 32nd season, the franchise may have its best shot yet at reaching its first Super Bowl. There is a long way to go, but Jacksonville looks like an elite team, and its playoff games might unfold in a setting far more intimate than most NFL venues.
In Other News...
Jaguars Win Brought One Rising Threat And One Growing Concern
Bhayshul Tuten kept flashing as a steady source of rushing production in the Jaguars Week 4 win over the Bengals, while Arik Armstead finished as the team leader in pressures and Brenton Strange posted a career high in receiving yards. The snapshot from Sunday offered a familiar mix for Jacksonville: a few players whose roles seem to be growing by the week, and enough impact plays to help explain how the offense and defense each found a way to shape the result.
But the win also came with some uneven tape. Anton Harrison and Bryan Thomas Jr. had stretches that were less convincing, and the bigger concern may be what is happening in the secondary, where injuries are starting to pile up. Montaric Browns absence is part of that uneasy picture, and it leaves Jacksonville with a little less margin for error as the season begins to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Keep Winning But This First-Place Start Comes With A Warning
The Jaguars are 3-1 and alone in first place in the AFC South after edging the Bengals, 22-17, in a game that looked every bit like early-season football in all its messy forms. Jacksonville leaned on defense, with interceptions from Travis Hunter and Jourdan Lewis helping swing momentum, while the Jaguars also had to work through turnovers and penalties in a choppy game that never fully settled into rhythm.
The warning for Jacksonville is pretty clear: the record is strong, but the margin for error has been slim. Cincinnati made a late push before Rayaun Lane came through with the key tackle to seal it, and the Jaguars will have to clean up the details if they want this kind of start to hold up once opponents start making them pay for the same mistakes. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Hunters Jaguars Role Just Got More Complicated
Travis Hunters first game plan wrinkle as a Jaguar came against the Bengals, and it was a revealing one. The rookie lined up strictly at cornerback, stayed on the field for every defensive snap and did not play on offense or special teams, a nod both to Jacksonvilles thin depth at the position and the teams caution after injuries started piling up in the secondary.
Liam Coen said the decision was driven by circumstance as much as strategy, and Hunter responded with the kind of defensive showing that only adds to the intrigue around how Jacksonville will use him moving forward. He broke up multiple passes and made a notable tackle, leaving the Jaguars with more reasons to think carefully about just how much they can ask him to carry on one side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]