Week 9 Results and Their Effect on the AFC South Playoff Race

Week 9 Results: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-7

What it Means: Something amazing has happened in Jacksonville over the last nine weeks. No longer are the Jaguars content with being the laughingstock in the league’s worst division. Youngsters such as Leonard Fournette and Jalen Ramsey have come in and changed the team’s culture. This team no longer accepts losing and has begun to develop the kind of easy confidence that a perennial contender must exhibit. Some might dislike that Ramsey was trash-talking A.J. Green to the point that Green resorted to violence and got kicked out of the game, but Ramsey’s confidence and mouth never overmatch his skill. It’s early in his career, but Ramsey reminds me of Deion Sanders with his competitiveness, big personality, and playmaking ability. The Jaguars needed players like Ramsey to step up and turn this team’s attitude around.

The defense and offense play a much more physical style of football as a result, which matches the talent on their roster. With the stellar defensive play of Ramsey, Fowler, Campbell, Ngakoue, Smith, Gipson, Bouye, and others, the offense can lean on its running game to win. Even though Fournette sat out the game due to a violation of team rules (aka the Tom Coughlin special), Jacksonville still ran for almost 150 yards of offense without their star feature back. Heading into the winter months, the Jaguars’ style of play will serve them well. With a relatively easy schedule from here on out, the Week 17 game against Tennessee looms large over Jacksonville’s playoff hopes.

What’s Next: Jacksonville takes on a Los Angeles Chargers team that has played better than its record. Week 10’s matchup is potentially a trap game for this Jacksonville squad.