The Jacksonville Jaguars have put together a really good season through 15 weeks, and while many are overlooking the team, they're actually playing their best football right now. That will need to continue in the final three weeks of the season, as the Jaguars still need to secure the AFC South crown and a playoff spot.
Jacksonville is currently sitting as the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff picture, and the team will play the No. 1 Denver Broncos on Sunday. While this is a great opportunity for the Jags to compete against one of the league’s best teams, this also gives them a chance to significantly change their playoff seeding. The No. 1 seed is still in reach for them, and the path to that top spot starts with a win against Denver on Sunday.
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The Jaguars can make a push for the No. 1 seed in the AFC by beating the Broncos
Entering Week 16, the top three AFC teams are the 12-2 Broncos, the 11-3 New England Patriots, and the 10-4 Jaguars. With three games left for each team, Jacksonville could finish the regular season atop the conference, but it will need some help. The team can do its part by handing Denver a loss on Sunday, which would also give Jacksonville the head-to-head advantage.
If that happens, the Jaguars would need both the Broncos and Patriots to lose one more game each. That would give all three teams four losses on the season, and then the tiebreakers will come into play. The question, though, is whether both teams have opponents who could hand them losses. The answer is yes.
Denver will end the season against a 10-4 Los Angeles Chargers team that already handed the Broncos a loss this season. The Patriots will play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football in Week 16, and while the Ravens are 7-7, they’re always capable of pulling off a win.
If things unfold the right way for Jacksonville over the next three weeks, it could be the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which would give them a bye week in the postseason and set the Jaguars up for a deep playoff run. Already, they've exceeded expectations in Year 1 of the Liam Coen era, so this would be the cherry on top.