Jacksonville Jaguars expected to rebound from rough 2-week stretch

Things are always fluid in the NFL. Clubs that seemed to be poised to make a playoff during the offseason plush struggle to win games once the action starts. Conversely, teams that start slow end up picking up steam and sneaking into the postseason. So far this year, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been a mixed bag.

After losing to the Washington Commanders in the opener, Jacksonville went on to beat the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers in back-to-back weeks. Talking heads took notice of their dominant two-game winning streak and started talking about them as a threat potential playoff team. Unfortunately, there was still plenty of football left this season and the Jags lost to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Houston Texans in consecutive weeks.

You won’t longer hear about the Jaguars either winning the AFC South or making the playoffs and least in the next few days. But they have enough time and the talent to turn things around. Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes they will do precisely that.

Ballentine jotted down a list of disappointing NFL players and teams that will rebound from rough starts. He expects the Jags to play the way they did during their two-week winning streak and cites their relatively soft schedule as a reason why.

"The Jags have a good slate to get right back into the playoff race and deliver on the promise they showed a few weeks ago. This week, they face the Colts, whom they shut out in Week 2. After that, they get the New York Giants, who continue to win by small margins, and the struggling Denver Broncos in London. All three of those are winnable games and could make fans forget about their current two-game skid."

The Jaguars need to win two of their next three games (at least)

Ballentine is right. If the Jaguars manage to get back in the win column, their two-game skid won’t be discussed much unless it’s to point out how much they’ve improved. Just like any other team, Jacksonville must learn from their mistakes, fix them and prepare for the next game.

On the other hand, the room for error might be small moving forward. The Tennessee Titans have won three straight games after starting 0-2 this season. Indy has won two of their last three contest and the Houston Texans pulled off the upset at TIAA Bank Field in Week 5.

On the bright side, the Jags can realistically get back to the top of the division. They arguably have the best quarterback in the division and have a dynamic backfield duo in James Robinson and Travis Etienne. If the defense can play the way they did in the first three games of the season, Jacksonville could go toe-to-toe with most teams in the league. It’s just a matter of execution.

Keep in mind that many things can happen in the next to weeks. The Titans could start losing again or maybe the Texans keep winning. Similarly, the Jaguars will show if they can rebound from a rough stretch. Many, this writer included, think they will.