Jacksonville Jaguars clinch the AFC South title

Even with the loss on Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars have clinched the AFC South.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traveled to San Francisco and played what some have called a trap game.  A trap games means that you lose a game that, in theory, you should win. Sadly the first quarter seemed to prove the trap was set.  Suddenly the Jaguars looked like the Jags of old. Blake Bortles forgot how to pass.  In addition, defense was unable to defend.  The running game went south.

However the good new was that the Tennessee Titans lost to the Los Angeles Rams and the Jaguars clinched the AFC South division.  Luckily the Jaguars didn’t need to win this game. The bad news was the Jags fought on the sidelines instead of on the field of play.

The Jaguars woke up in the second quarter.  Bortles remembered how to pass.  The defense remembered how to defend.  Best of all the Jaguars took their fight to the field of play.  This didn’t last, however.  Reality returned and the Jaguars did foolish things.  They committed some very foolish penalties.  They fumbled.  Bortles threw interceptions.  In reality, they did everything they could do to lose the game.  Hopefully this was a learning experience  for the Jags. It takes more than showing up to win the game. Too much swagger and not enough solid play.

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This game could be a great wake up call for the Jags.  Fortunately it came at a good time.  They are still in many ways a flawed team under the hype and they must play as a unit to be winners.  That means no foolish penalties.  In addition, no turnovers.  Many games will be ahead if they get their heads on straight.

The game proved that the Jaguars have some fight in them. They continued to battle adversity even when the game was basically out of reach.  They need this fight to make any kind of run in the playoffs.  Also they staged a potential comeback in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars have been the darling of the NFL the past few weeks.  Reality has returned.  Now it’s time to circle the wagons, ignore the publicity, and play the kind of football we know the Jags can play.