The Tennessee Titans did the Jacksonville Jaguars a huge favor last week when they beat the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were getting a bit too close for comfort, and their loss to a division rival gave the Jags some much-needed wiggle room heading into the bye.
Unfortunately, Jacksonville jagged things up and lost a very winnable game against the Houston Texans last week. Luckily, Houston's victory was only their second win of the season, which means that Jacksonville still has a safe lead.
Well, for now, anyway.
Jacksonville's inability to take the field this Sunday prevents them from keeping their small cushion intact. That means Jags fans around the world will need to whip out those generic NFL hats they bought at that shady "pop-up shop" near Tottenham Stadium and get ready for a clean, old-fashioned buffet of hate-watching!
An undefeated NFC team taking advantage of the Colts is the appetizer
Firing your general manager right before the trade deadline doesn't do much to help your current campaign. Telling your coach that you still expect to compete for a championship before facing a 5-0 team might make things even worse.
Shane Steichen needs to beat the Minnesota Vikings to keep his job, but the Vikings are on a roll and have to figure out their QB situation before the playoff push begins. If this week's game against the Colts is the one where Kyler Murray reestablishes himself as a premier starter in the NFL, the Jags will be able to breathe a bit lighter as they prepare to face Indy after a week of getting right.
Don't get too full! The Jaguars' most hated rival can come tumbling back to reality
Those Timid Titans must be feeling so good about themselves after upsetting the Colts to get their first win in 2026. I'd reckon that they're even thinking about taking their new winning streak as far as it can go. Fortunately (for them), they're playing those lowly Cleveland Bro -- wait, the Browns are good?!?!
The 4-2 Browns are in a three-way tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North. While it's way too early to start thinking about playoff scenarios, the Jags would have a better chance to advance to the Divisional Round than they did last year if the Browns came to Everbank Stadium for a rematch.
Tennessee improving their draft position doesn't matter if the front office can't maintain the stability needed for the coaching staff to do its job. With that in mind, I'm not worried about the Titans taking their sixth loss of the season this week. In fact, I'm praying for it.
For the main course, a chance for the Texans to slip and fall
I don't ask the New York Giants for much. Eli Manning beating Tom Brady twice was plenty. However, I'm gonna need a BIG favor from them this weekend.
The Texans are poised to make a midseason run that gets their campaign back on track, helps CJ Stroud land the huge contract he's been looking for, and punishes the Jags for not being able to take care of business during a "home" game overseas.
Needless to say, that would be the worst case scenario.
JJ McCarthy would need to have the game of his life to eke out a win against Houston's stifling defense. John Harbaugh sees something special in him, so Jags fans have to have faith that Big Blue's new ball coach knows what he's doing.
If Houston loses, they would have a 2-5 record going into their bye week. Their next three games after returning to play will be against the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland, and Indianapolis. The Texans rattling off three wins in a row isn't impossible, so Jacksonville really needs the Giants to help out with this one.
Still have room for dessert? Good, because the Jags need even more help
Kenneth Walker taught Andy Reid how to run the dang ball, and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in the driver's seat because of it. Patrick Mahomes coming off a major injury and Travis Kelce being even longer in the tooth hasn't mattered because the Chiefs' rushing attack is averaging 159.8 yards per game.
The Seattle Seahawks are one of the few franchises that rely on their defense to compete for championships in the modern era, so they might be the only team in the pros to match up well against Kansas City in the midst of its return to dominance.
At 4-2, Jacksonville is two losses behind the Chiefs. Winning out and getting a lotta help will be necessary to catch up to the AFC's enduring juggernaut of the 2020s. Are the Seahawks willing to do an old Ram a little favor?
We'll just have to wait and see.
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