AFC South Playoff Race Analysis: Week 1
By Max Dambach
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
Week 1 Results: Won 29-7 against the Houston Texans
What it Means: The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked the rest of the NFL by defeating the heavily favored Texans in a rout. It seems like the Jaguars win the offseason every year with flashy talents acquired in free agency and the draft. This trend continued with the signing of Calais Campbell, AJ Bouye, and Barry Church, as well as the drafting of bulldozing running back Leonard Fournette.
The Jaguars, however, did nothing to fix their quarterback situation with incumbent starter Blake Bortles actively weighing down an otherwise talented roster and remaining apathetic about it, saying that he needs to “improve his tackling” to combat his penchant for throwing pick-sixes. A brief quarterback competition even occurred during the preseason between Bortles and the QB he was drafted to replace: Chad Henne.
After the first game, it seems that the years of top-ten draft picks and free agency splashes have finally allowed Dave Caldwell to construct a roster that can carry the team to a win despite Bortles by running the ball and relying on their defense to make plays. The Jaguars lost top receiver Allen Robinson for the remainder of the season due to injury, but if they continue to adhere to their game plan from Week 1, this injury will not be as devastating as it would have been last season. The Jaguars have proved that they should not be taken lightly.
What’s Next: The Jaguars face off against the Tennessee Titans for sole possession of first place in the AFC South. The Titans should be motivated coming off of a hard-fought loss against the Oakland Raiders and eager for revenge after the Jaguars foiled the Titans playoff hopes at the end of last season and broke Marcus Mariota’s fibula.