Sunday is a key barometer for if the Jacksonville Jaguars are ready for the big time
By Billy Long
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a Sunday date with the Seattle Seahawks, in a measuring stick game for the team in December.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the midst of easily their best season in a decade. The team has won five of their last six games and are currently standing tall in the playoff picture at 8-4. Talk has swirled nationwide that not only will the Jaguars make the playoffs, but will be a tough out whilst in the postseason.
But are the Jaguars really ready for that spotlight?
To find the answer to that question, you don’t have to look much further than this Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are the epitome of consistent. Seattle has been to the playoffs every season since 2012, including two Super Bowl appearances and a championship title.
More from Jacksonville Jaguars News
- Jacksonville Jaguars in position to let RT Jawaan Taylor hit free agency in 2023
- Jaguars GM Trent Baalke hopes HC Doug Pederson has trust in him
- Report: Jacksonville Jaguars ready to use franchise tag to keep Evan Engram if needed
- Antonio Johnson a trendy pick for Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 24 in 2023 NFL Draft
- Jacksonville Jaguars have a rat problem, get poor marks in NFLPA team report card
The team embodies winning, and that has continued this season. The Seahawks are also 8-4, and much like the previous seasons, are getting hot at the right time. Seattle is coming off of a 24-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, a team most considered to be the best in the league entering the game.
For the Jaguars, this matchup with the Seahawks is the biggest game the team has had since 2010. A division crown or playoff berth is not on the line just yet, but this game presents a massive opportunity for Jacksonville. A 4:25 P.M. December game against a perennial winner making another run to the postseason, the Jaguars have a chance to make a major statement around the league, and show that they are indeed ready for big time football.
This game will have as close a playoff atmosphere as possible outside of January, as the city of Jacksonville has not seen a significant matchup this late in the season in a long time. The stage is set, and the Jaguars can raise plenty of eyebrows if they can take down one of the league’s Goliaths in a battle at home.
Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks doesn’t make or break Jacksonville’s playoff aspirations per se, with three games to follow. But what it does do is provide an important test for a quick-rising Jaguars team to prove they are worthy of the praise increasingly showering them in this surreal 2017 season.
Expect an all-out war at EverBank Field between two teams destined to be playing for the ultimate goal in January.