The Jacksonville Jaguars are sitting pretty right now. They are coming off a dominant victory on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens and have a large lead in the AFC South. Barring a huge collapse they are basically assured a spot in the playoffs and the No. 1 seed in the AFC remains a distinct possibility. There’s even an argument that the Jags are the best team in the NFL right now.
Add in the fact that Jacksonville has arguably the easiest remaining schedule of any team in the NFL and it is hard not to be high on the team’s prospects. However, that easy schedule may not exactly be a good thing for the Jaguars entering the playoffs. Of all the games remaining on their schedule, the only one that really inspires fear is a game on the road against the Chicago Bears. A game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home probably falls into the “competitive” category.
Other than that every game should probably be a victory on paper. That is good for the regular season and should definitely help Jacksonville’s seeding for the playoffs, but it is probably not good for their preparedness entering the playoffs. Last season the Jags went 13-4 and won the division but they lost in the Wild Card round in a heartbreaker to the Buffalo Bills. For as good a job as head coach Liam Coen has done so far, the question remains whether they can get it done in the playoffs.
Of Jacksonville’s six wins, only two of them have come against teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today. Those wins against the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals were both impressive, but the fact that they lost to the Denver Broncos suggests they could potentially struggle once they have to play tougher opponents.
Jaguars may wish they played some tougher opponents
The Jaguars cannot do anything about the schedule, though. All they can do is take care of business against the team’s they should handle pretty easily and then they can draw upon last season’s experience when they are in the postseason. They easily could have won that game against Buffalo so they know they have what it takes.
Still, until they get it done there may be comparisons to teams like the New England Patriots who had. an easy schedule last season and got creamed when going up against a superior opponent in the Super Bowl. The Jags might meet a similar fate, but perhaps the fact that there are some still discounting them will give them the motivation they need going forward to prove everyone wrong..
Why Jaguars’ Easy Remaining Schedule May Be a Curse More Than A Blessing