The Jacksonville Jaguars need to stay focused against the wounded New York Jets. The Jags sit atop the AFC South, but the playoff picture remains unclear.
Sunday’s game in Jacksonville against the New York Jets should be a cakewalk for the Jaguars.
The Jets (3-10) will take the field at Everbank Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET with starting quarterback Justin Fields (knee) and backup Tyrod Taylor (groin) sidelined with injuries.
They will start Brady Cook, head coach Aaron Glenn announced Friday. The undrafted rookie free agent played three-plus quarters in last week's home loss against the Miami Dolphins, after a shaken-up Taylor left the game with New York trailing 21-0. In the Week 14 defeat, Cook threw for 163 yards, completing 14 of 30 attempts, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Not an ideal start for the rookie, but also not surprising.
On Sunday, Cook start against one of the best defenses in the league, and more than likely, he will struggle in his second start.
But that doesn’t mean the Jags can take the day off.
This has been a wild NFL season where anything can happen, including spoiler alerts and upsets.
Just ask the NFC South's former No. 1, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- now 7-7 and on the edge of playoff elimination after falling at home 29-28 to the already ousted Atlanta Falcons (4-10) on Thursday night.
The Jaguars are just coming off one of their best wins of the season, against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts (8-5). And their schedule looks mostly promising: the Jets on Sunday, then in Denver against the AFC West-leading Broncos (11-2), then a rematch with the Colts in Indianapolis; and wrapping up at home against the 2-11 Tennessee Titans, in last place in the AFC South.
It would be easy for the Jaguars to look past the Jets -- but here is why they shouldn’t.
In Week 12, just weeks ago, the Jags could easily have lost in OT to the Arizona Cardinals (3-10) after trouncing the Los Angeles Chargers 35-6 a week earlier.
The Jags played one of their worst games of the season, especially on offense. QB Trevor Lawrence was picked off three times in that game. An injury-depleted defense let the Cards come back and take the lead in the fourth quarter,.
RB Breece Hall is the Jets' leading rusher this year, with 877 yards -- just shy of his first 1,000-yard season. ( Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)Jacksonville did get it together and win in overtime, but it was too close for comfort. A loss in Arizona could have led to disaster. The Colts could have taken sole possession of the division, as the Houston Texans (8-5) await their turn on top.
Now is not the time to relax. As bad as the Jets have been this season, they are still capable of giving this team a scare, even if their quarterback ranks are a wash. it's hard to know what to expect from Cook, a three-year starter at Missouri -- and the unexpected is hard to gameplan for.
A few bounces could go the Jets' way, and who knows? They could make Sunday a game for the Jags.