3 best-case scenarios for the Jacksonville Jaguars after 2024 Bye Week

Following their Bye, the Jacksonville Jaguars remain in the thick of their playoff race. It isn't that they're suddenly playing well but rather that the AFC South isn't in great shape 12 weeks into the season. Granted, their odds remain slim, but it's somewhat impressive that the Jags still have a chance despite their underwhelming 2-9 record.

For his part, head coach Doug Pederson says that the team made the most out of their week off, noting that they made tweaks to the scheme on both sides of the ball.

"We took a dive into that right schematically, just to see where we were, and see what we're doing, and see what we do well," Pederson told the local media Monday when asked what he learned during the Bye. "There's some things that I'm not going to get into, the whole details of things."

Pederson continued, "But there's things in the run game that we got to get back to, even in the passing game, tweaking some things there, and some things that we can, hopefully, help our production in the next six weeks. Ultimately, have some time away we needed. As I said last week, we needed some rest and get refreshed, and see where these next six weeks go."

It would've been great to hear what kind of changes Pederson implemented, but he refused to go into detail. Either way, the Jaguars are not ready to throw in the towel, and even if they ultimately get eliminated from playing contention — and there's a strong chance they will — they'd better hope the next three scenarios take place the rest of the way.

Trevor Lawrence avoid further injury and finishes the season strong

In 2023, Trevor Lawrence got off to a strong start before a myriad of ailments derailed his season. He told the media earlier this year that it wasn't until March that he truly felt 100 percent until March. The expectation was that he was going to stay healthy but he's already suffered a shoulder sprain that forced him to sit out two games.

The good news is that Lawrence is back in practice, and there's a chance he'll return as soon as Week 13. If that's the case, Jacksonville has better hope he doesn't get hurt again and manages to build a bit of momentum to end the season.

The Jaguars see Parker Washington, Walker Little and other players finish strong

As bad as things have been for the Jaguars in 2024, there have been bright spots, even if they're few and far between. Walker Little has been one of them. The former Stanford Cardinal has shown that he's a more than capable replacement for Cam Robinson, who was shipped to the Minnesota Vikings at the trade deadline.

Wide receiver Parker Washington has also shown intriguing return skills and could become Christian Kirk's heir apparent if he takes advantage of his playing time. The same is true for fellow sophomore Tank Bigsby, who's bounced back after a dreadful rookie season.

Having said that, Washington, Little, and Bigsby aren't the only players who've stepped up for the Jags. Rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr. is the real deal, and first-year cornerback Jarrian Jones has flashed potential. Regardless of how the season ends, the team's brass will have ample talent to work with next year.

The Jaguars aren't embarrassed (again) the rest of the way

The Jaguars could make the playoffs if they run the table and the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts lose a few more games in what's left of the season. Realistically, though, they will rack up a few wins but ultimately come up short. That said, they must avoid being humiliated the way they were in the 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Before that embarrassing defeat, the Jags also suffered a disappointing 47-10 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. But wait, there's more. Jacksonville also lost to the Miami Dolphins and the Cleveland Browns, two of the worst teams in the league, in back-to-back weeks to start the season.

The bottom line is that even if the Jags struggle in the six remaining games, they must keep fighting and refuse to throw in the towel. After all, a 30-27 loss, as excruciating as it may be, is better than losing by nearly 50 points.

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