At the end of November, the Jacksonville Jaguars had an 8-3 record, and some wondered if they were turning into legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
But they have lost three games in a row, and now they’re tied with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans for the best record in the AFC South.
In fact, if they don’t finish first in their division, there is now a chance they won’t even make the playoffs.
The Jaguars will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, another team that’s fighting to stay in first place in its division, on Sunday, and they may have to do so without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, per Ian Rapoport.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: The #Jaguars are likely to play this weekend without QB Trevor Lawrence (concussion). pic.twitter.com/IyqfwAOeud
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2023
If Lawrence doesn’t clear concussion protocol in time, C.J. Beathard will likely start under center for Jacksonville.
The team finished last season on a hot streak and overcame a 27-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, leading to high expectations for 2023.
But they’re still a relatively young team, which means they likely still have some more growth to go through before they can consider themselves true contenders.
On the other hand, with a number of starting QBs out due to injury and the defending world champion Kansas City Chiefs underperforming, the AFC seems wide open, which means perhaps the Jaguars could squeeze through if a lot goes right for them.
After this weekend, they will wrap up the regular season against the woeful Carolina Panthers and the mediocre Tennessee Titans, which means if they win this Sunday, they should have an excellent chance of finishing with an 11-6 record.
NEXT: Insider Shares Latest Update On Trevor Lawrence