Stop ignoring what the Jacksonville Jaguars are doing

Jarrett Bailey

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Stop ignoring what the Jacksonville Jaguars are doing image

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 10-4 and sit atop the AFC South. You may be surprised to know that, though, because the entirety of folks in my line of work who cover the NFL seem to be treating this team like a Harry Potter villain that we shouldn’t name - DuValdemort, if you will. 

And believe me, I’d love to know why the big networks seemingly don’t wanna talk about them. It can’t be because they are a small market - Indianapolis is, as well, and everyone couldn’t get enough of the Colts when they were 7-1.

Is it because they are boring? Well, I wouldn’t say that, either, because they have the sixth-most touchdowns in the NFL, the second-most takeaways on defense, a first-year head coach whose offense is playing great, and a former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback coming off a six-touchdown performance - which also has gotten zero attention. 

Is it because the four-letter sports network can’t spare any of its 17 Shedeur Sanders segments or take any time away from belly-aching about James Madison making it in the College Football Playoff over Notre Dame? Perhaps. 

Whatever the reason, the underlying issue is that these Jaguars are the Fritos at the bottom of a variety pack of chips no one wants to eat. So, allow me to tell you why you should care about the big cats of Duval County.

Getting hot at the right time

The Jaguars are the hottest team in the NFL. They have won their last five games, and have done so in largely dominant fashion. Jacksonville has scored 35+ points in three of its last five games, and four of those five games were decided by at least three scores. In their last three games, the Jaguars have won by an average score of 36-14. 

Defensively, they have nine takeaways during the 5-0 stretch and allowed just 14.4 points per game. Jacksonville also ranks first in the NFL in defensive EPA per play and third in success rate in its last five games, per RBSDM Stats.

Additionally, their offense has been one of the best in the league in that span. Since Week 11, the Jaguars rank first in dropback success rate and second in EPA per dropback. That brings us to Trevor Lawrence.

Trevor Lawrence is on a roll

The Jaguars’ signal-caller is in the midst of the best stretch of his career. Over his last five games, Lawrence has thrown 13 touchdowns, rushed for two touchdowns, and has averaged just over 242 yards per game. Additionally, he leads all quarterbacks in success rate in that span and made history in Week 15.

In the Jaguars’ 48-20 win over the New York Jets, Lawrence became the first quarterback in history with 330 passing yards, five touchdowns, 50 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown in a single game. He’s been on an absolute roll, and the Jaguars’ offense has taken off because of it.

Lawrence isn’t the only star on the Jaguars’ offense, though. Ever since being acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders, Jakobi Meyers has been one of the best receivers in football. Since becoming a Jaguar, Meyers has 27 catches, 355 yards, and three touchdowns. It’s no coincidence that the Jaguars’ win streak started when Meyers arrived, which is why they rewarded him with a three-year extension. On top of Meyers having a great stretch of games, Travis Etienne is 10th in the NFL in rushing and 16th in the league in yards from scrimmage. 

So while you won’t hear anyone on major networks talk about the Jaguars, don’t be like them and ignore this team. They are a real threat led by a real quarterback and a head coach in Liam Coen, who is the next big thing when it comes to NFL head coaches. So pay attention to the Jaguars - they are more than worth your time.

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