3 reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars could fail to win the AFC South in 2023

The consensus agrees the Jacksonville Jaguars are the frontrunners to win the AFC South in 2023. Heck, Peter King of NBC Sports turned expectations up to 11 when he said the Jags will seize the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC next season.

The hype surrounding Jacksonville is most definitely warranted. They're coming off a trip to the playoffs and a division title. With Trevor Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson leading the way, they have a realistic shot at repeating as AFC South championships and making the playoffs for the second straight year.

That said, things can change in the NFL in the blink of an eye, and the Jags are proof that you should always expect the unexpected. Just last year, they were projected to win six or seven games. They ended up winning nine and making a playoff push. The opposite could happen in 2023.

Despite the fact that the Jags are the favorites to win the division this upcoming season, here are three reasons they could fall short.

3. The Jaguars fail to beat the NFL powerhouses (Chiefs, 49ers, etc.)

The Jaguars proved last year that they could keep up with the best teams in the NFL, rallying from behind to beat the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys in the regular season. Similarly, they found a way to erase a 27-point deficit to come back from behind and beat the Los Angeles Chargers in Super Wild Card Weekend.

Now, Jacksonville will have the opportunity to prove last year wasn't a fluke. In 2023, they'll face some of the best teams in the league, including the Cincinnati Bengals, the San Francisco 49ers, the Buffalo Bills, and the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Jags have enough firepower to keep up and even beat all of those clubs... but what if they fail?

Last year, they got off to a slow start, losing to "lesser teams" such as the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. If they don't hit their stride early, it will considerably harder to catch up later in the season.