On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars picked up another win, dominating the Tennessee Titans 25-3. Jacksonville is now 8-4, tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the top record in the AFC South. With two meetings against Indy left on the schedule, including one on Sunday, the Jaguars can control their own fate and win the division. However, the race down the stretch of the season will be a tight one, in part because of a massive collapse from Jacksonville earlier this season.
The reason the Jaguars now have the same record as the Colts is that Indy lost on Sunday. The team Indianapolis lost to was the Houston Texans. For most of the season, Houston was a non-factor after its 2-4 start. However, the Texans have won five of their last six and are now 7-5. One of those wins came in Week 10, when Houston came back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Jaguars. Because of Jacksonville’s inability to put Houston away that day, the Jaguars now have another team to worry about in the AFC South race.
Jaguars helped the Texans get back in the AFC South race
In Week 10, Jacksonville led Houston 20-3 in the second quarter and 29-10 entering the fourth. The Texans then scored 26 fourth-quarter points with backup quarterback Davis Mills and won the game. It was an absolutely embarrassing display for the Jaguars, and one that is making life tougher for them right now.
Houston is just one game behind having the top record in the division, and it still has to play the Colts again. Additionally, the Texans split the series with Jacksonville and already have a win over Indianapolis. They also have the best division record at 4-1, which gives them an advantage in potential tiebreaker situations. Houston, after winning the division the last two seasons, has put itself in a position to three-peat.
The Jaguars, and the Colts, will be trying to prevent that. Jacksonville can prevent it by winning out, but the team fumbled its opportunity to give itself a bigger margin for error. Jacksonville can’t afford to do the same in its upcoming matchups with Indianapolis.