JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As one of the crucial disappointing seasons in franchise historical past involves a detailed this weekend, there stays one small, constructive factor the Jacksonville Jaguars can accomplish.
By beating the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX), the Jaguars can clinch a successful document within the AFC South for simply the fifth time — and a 3rd season in a row.
“To complete that means, to complete sturdy, it sends a very good message to the workforce which you could nonetheless have a maintain in your division should you do this subsequent week,” head coach Doug Pederson mentioned after the Jaguars’ 20-13 victory over Tennessee on Sunday. “You have to win the sport, clearly, [it] reveals you may type of management [the division].
“… It will likely be a very good message to the fellows if we will accomplish that.”
The Jaguars would not actually management the AFC South with a victory on Sunday as a result of the Houston Texans can go 5-1 with a victory at Tennessee. Even when the Titans pull off the upset and each groups end 4-2, the Texans swept the season collection towards the Jaguars. Houston has already received the division for the second consecutive season.
The Jaguars’ season has fallen aside due to accidents (together with season-enders to quarterback Trevor Lawrence, receiver Christian Kirk, and tight finish Evan Engram), a protection that ranks final in passing yards allowed (357.7 per recreation) and turnovers (9) and thirty first in yards allowed (387.5 per recreation), and a free agent class that has made minimal influence. The Jaguars are also 3-9 in one-score video games – the 9 losses are tied for probably the most in a single season within the Tremendous Bowl period (since 1966).
Contemplating all of that, beating the Colts in Indianapolis would permit the gamers a minimum of one little bit of positivity heading into an offseason that would embrace a training and basic supervisor change, defensive finish Josh Hines-Allen mentioned.
“The entire season hasn’t been the place we wished it to be, but when we will dominate our division — we win that recreation and we’re 4-2 in our division — we will maintain our heads up excessive, figuring out that we maintain dealing with our enterprise within the division then once we get outdoors it, we will be in a very good area,” Hines-Allen mentioned.
The Jaguars’ 31-21 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium final season snapped a five-game shedding streak in Indianapolis. The Jaguars have solely received back-to-back street video games there as soon as — the 2011 and 2012 seasons — and have swept the season collection with the Colts simply thrice (2011, 2017 and final season).
A victory Sunday can be the primary time the Jaguars have received back-to-back video games since Weeks 11 and 12 of final season.
“I am glad we beat the Titans,” working again Travis Etienne Jr. mentioned. “I keep in mind final 12 months they beat us [and] stored us out of the playoffs, so simply having the ability to sweep them and having the prospect to go sweep the Colts is simply actually thrilling. Particularly like when it is a division rival. We do not just like the man, they do not like us, and we have simply received to go on the market and deal with enterprise.”
