The Jacksonville Jaguars' season was considered a success in the eyes of fans and pundits long ago, but the team itself doesn't seem to be satisfied yet.
The Jaguars entered Week 18 on a seven-game win streak, with their only loss since their bye being a game they led by 19 against the Houston Texans. Despite a lack of attention compared to other teams with 12 or more wins, Jacksonville is hoping to steal the spotlight in the playoffs.
First, the Jaguars have business to take care of in Week 18, thanks to the way the Texans have kept the pressure on late in the season.
Here's a look at the Jaguars' playoff outlook and where Jacksonville could land in the bracket.
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Here's a look at the current potential initial matchups for this year's playoffs:
Jaguars playoff picture
The Jaguars enter Week 18 as the No. 3 seed in the AFC at 12-4, but they have yet to clinch the AFC South.
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Denver Broncos* | 13-3 |
| 2 | New England Patriots* | 13-3 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars* | 12-4 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 |
| 5 | Houston Texans* | 11-5 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Chargers* | 11-5 |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills* | 11-5 |
| 8 | Indianapolis Colts - eliminated | 8-8 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 8-8 |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins - eliminated | 7-9 |
| 11 | Cincinnati Bengals - eliminated | 6-10 |
| 12 | Kansas City Chiefs - eliminated | 6-10 |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns - eliminated | 4-12 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans - eliminated | 3-13 |
| 15 | New York Jets - eliminated | 3-13 |
| 16 | Las Vegas Raiders - eliminated | 2-14 |
*=clinched playoff spot
The Jaguars still have a wide range of outcomes on the table, as they can still claim the No. 1 seed through a series of unlikely results but could also fail to win the AFC South if they lose and the Texans win.
In fact, Jacksonville enters Week 18 with the possibility of being either the No. 1, 2 3, 5, 6 or 7 seed in the AFC. The Jaguars know, however, that a win guarantees them a top-three seed and home playoff game regardless of other results.
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AFC South standings
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Jaguars | 12-4 |
| 2 | Texans | 11-5 |
| 3 | Colts | 8-8 |
| 4 | Titans | 3-13 |
The Jaguars lead the AFC South through 16 games and need just one more win or a Texans loss to clinch the division. Only a loss and a Texans win would prevent Jacksonville from winning the AFC South.
Jaguars clinching scenarios
The Jaguars' path to clinching the AFC South is straightforward: either a win over the Tennessee Titans or a Texans loss to the Indianapolis Colts would get the job done.
If the Jaguars win on Sunday but the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots also win, Jacksonville would be the No. 3 seed. The Jaguars would also be assured of the No. 3 seed if they won the AFC South but lost on Sunday.
If one of those two teams loses and the Jaguars win, Jacksonville would be the No. 2 seed. In the event the Jaguars win but both the Broncos and Patriots lose, Jacksonville would actually be the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
What about if the Jaguars don't win the AFC South? In that scenario, they could be the No. 5 seed but would likely slip to No. 6 if the Buffalo Bills won. In one convoluted scenario, a strength of schedule tiebreaker would allow Jacksonville to keep the No. 5 seed even after a Bills win.
The nightmare scenario for the Jaguars is a loss and wins by the Bills, Texans, Los Angeles Chargers and Patriots (for strength of schedule tiebreaker purposes). That would knock Jacksonville back to the No. 7 seed in the AFC. With the Chargers resting key players, however, Jaguars fans shouldn't panic just yet.