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Week 3 Results and Their Effect on the AFC South Playoff Race

By Max Dambach

JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 17: Derrick Henry
JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 17: Derrick Henry /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Patrick Onwuasor of the Baltimore Ravens tackles Chris Ivory of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the NFL International Series match between Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on September 24, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Patrick Onwuasor of the Baltimore Ravens tackles Chris Ivory of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the NFL International Series match between Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on September 24, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) /

Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 3 Result: Beat the Baltimore Ravens 44-7

What it Means: The Jaguars beat the Ravens at their own game on Sunday in their annual London game. Both teams have a hamstrung passing attack due to subpar quarterback play from Joe Flacco and Blake Bortles, which forces them to rely on a dominant defense and strong running game. Heading into this game, the Ravens defense looked far stronger than the Jaguars through two weeks, but it seems that this may have been a bit of a mirage generated by an above average defense outmatching the weak Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns offenses at the start of the season. When the Ravens defense had to face a real offense, they fell apart.

Every aspect of the Jaguars offense was clicking on Sunday. Leonard Fournette ran for 59 yards and a touchdown and Bortles actually looked like the franchise quarterback the Jaguars hoped he would become when they drafted him third overall. Sunday proved that when they are playing at their best, they are a true contender. That said, their inconsistency through three weeks makes it difficult to project whether or not they will still be in the playoff race in December.

What’s Next: The Jaguars should keep their momentum going against the lowly New York Jets. Even though the Jets pulled out a convincing (and unexpected) win against the Miami Dolphins, the Jags have a defense that is light years ahead of the Miami defense. Even though the Bortles-led offense has proven to be very streaky through the first three weeks, the defense will definitely be able to stifle any offense that the anemic Jets roster can muster up. The Jaguars will likely start off 3-1, which is something few experts predicted before the season.

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