Is 'The Sky Falling' For Trevor Lawrence's Jaguars vs. Baltimore Ravens?

Is 'The Sky Falling' For QB Trevor Lawrence's Struggling Jaguars vs. Lamar Jackson's first-place Baltimore Ravens?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are talking about having a month to fix things - "We've got to get back on track,'' star QB Trevor Lawrence admits - but at the same time insist they are not hitting the panic button, even after two straight losses and now a visit from the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens.

"I think the last couple of years for us (is evidence that) the sky is not falling,'' Jags coach Doug Pederson said in the wake of his team having lost back-to-back games to the Bengals and to the Browns. "Obviously yes, we haven’t played our best football the last two weeks and we’ve gotten beat.''

Yes, obviously - and those defeats have come at the hands of backup quarterbacks Jake Browning and Joe Flacco ... with Ravens MVP candidate Lamar Jackson clearly presenting to them another level of challenge in Sunday NFL Week 15.

The Ravens are 10-3 and bidding for the top playoff berth in the AFC - and for the first-round bye that goes with it. The Jags have meanwhile slipped to 8-5 and are thankful that Lawrence has somehow been able to play through a nasty ankle injury sustained a couple of weeks ago.

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The Jaguars are talking about how other playoff contenders have experienced their struggles. The Kansas City Chiefs might be the AFC's best team, but they're on a two-game losing streak. Same with NFC powerhouse the Philadelphia Eagles.

But in this league of parity, the Ravens, to their credit, have not suffered a multi-game losing streak. And as their next three games are against contenders all - the Jags, then the 49ers, then the Dolphins - they don't want to start slipping now.

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"This time of year is where teams begin to separate,'' Pederson said. "You start to get a better picture or a clearer picture, at least, of the postseason. For us, it’s a matter of just continuing to focus on us, be us, be who we are, control the things that we can control.''

Or, Pederson added wryly, "At least go out and not try to lose another football game, if possible.”