How the Jaguars Can Officially Clinch the AFC South in Week 17
The Jacksonville Jaguars can officially clinch the playoffs in Week 17 -- as long as they snap their four-game losing streak.
After holding an 8-3 record and a two-game lead in the AFC South entering Week 13, the Jaguars have dropped four straight games are are tied with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts at the top of the division.
But, per the NFL, the Jaguars can officially wrap up the AFC South this week if three things happen:
- If the Jaguars beat the Carolina Panthers
- If the Texans lose to the Tennessee Titans
- If the Colts lose to the Las Vegas Raiders
The Jaguars can officially only be seeded as high as the No. 3 seed, though the No. 4 seed seems more realistic.
"I just got to keep reminding them of our goals and keep encouraging the guys to stay focused on that. Everything’s still right in front of us, got a great opportunity this week to just go 1-0 and that’s our goal," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Tuesday.
"Yeah, you get in situations like that where you feel or you come away with a feeling that a team was playing for the same things that we were playing for and they did everything they needed to win the game, we didn’t. You lean on the leadership council and leaders of your team, lean on the coaches more and just lock in and focus during the week. Prepare for another game this Sunday.”
The Jaguars have been outscored 118 to 77 over the last month, with blowout losses vs. the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and near losses vs. the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
Despite the second worst skid of the Pederson era in Jacksonville, the Jaguars' head coach doesn't believe players are no longer getting the messaging from the staff.
“I don’t think that’s happening. I’ve had conversations with players the last couple of days and guys are still locked in and focused. They know, I might’ve said this after the game, it’s not like they’re going out there and trying to make these mistakes," Pederson said.
"We just have to be more aware of what’s happening. As coaches, we’ve got to continue to coach them up and put our players in positions to be successful on gameday. I don’t feel like they’re tuning out at all.”
"Yeah, it’s tough. It’s tough because it’s the things that are within our grasp or within our control that we’re not doing. A month or so ago, we were doing some things extremely well and right now, we’re not. The turnovers are the biggest thing. That’s the biggest thing right now, that’s what’s kept us from scoring points in the redzone and kicking field goals. Putting ourselves in chances and positions to win some of these games here. To me, that’s the glaring statistic. We get behind in these football games, especially these last two, you’ve got to throw the ball a little bit more. It’s been tough, but the bottom line is, we’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the football and go from there.”
