Jaguars have favorable path to No. 1 seed: Predicting final 6 games of 2023 season
• Here's a look at how the next six games on their schedule could play out
Week 15 vs. Baltimore Ravens: Loss
This is where things get interesting for Jacksonville. The Baltimore Ravens are the best team remaining in their schedule. They should be a good litmus test of where the Jaguars stand heading into the postseason. Having beaten the Texans and Titans in back-to-back weeks, they're 4-1 in the division with a chance of going 5-1 if they beat Tennessee in the finale.
Going back to the Ravens, the Jaguars have done a good job of taking down opponents they're supposed to beat. However, they've struggled against the heavyweights on their schedule this season: The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. They had no answers for defensive tackle Chris Jones and the offense, marred by errors, couldn't move the ball. Things went even worse against the Niners.
The Jaguars were crushed at home in that game. Their defense couldn't stop Christian McCaffrey or tight end George Kittle. To add insult to injury, Brock Purdy wasn't playing well heading into the bout but had a bounce-back game against the Jags... in Jacksonville.
While the Jaguars have also rebounded from the beatdown San Francisco gave them, they need to prove they can go toe-to-toe with the best team in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens. Heading into Week 13, they hold the No. 1 seed in the conference and have a one-game lead over Jacksonville. They'll need to take them down if they want to have a shot at catching up with them in the race for a playoff BYE.
The Ravens are much better than they were last year when they lost to the Jaguars. With Todd Monken now overseeing the offense, Lamar Jackson is enjoying a career revival. On top of that, Baltimore's defense is one of the top 3 in most meaningful metrics this season, so it's hard to see the Jaguars getting the win. Loss, a close one but a loss nonetheless.