Jacksonville's impressive Week 1 victory has one prominent national analyst talking about the possibility of a deep playoff run for Liam Coen's squad.
Once the regular season began, it didn't take long for the Jacksonville Jaguars to make a statement to everyone who had doubted and dismissed them all offseason.
Even though it was only against the Cleveland Browns, projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season as first-year head coach Todd Monken rebuilds the roster from almost scratch, Jacksonville's dominant 34-10 Week 1 victory has clearly been noticed.
Heading into the season, there were those who predicted the Jaguars would miss the playoffs one year after their breakout 13-4 season. ESPN had them 17th in its last preseason set of NFL power rankings.
Sure, Jacksonville had a few believers, most notably Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, who picked the Jaguars to win their first-ever Super Bowl this season.
But for the most part, Jacksonville has gotten less buzz and more criticism than any other 13-win team in recent memory.
However, the Jaguars' shellacking of the Browns sent a message to the NFL that they are for real and last season was no fluke.
It looks like Dan Orlovsky of ESPN has received that message loud and clear.
On Monday, Orlovsky was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show, where he sang the Jaguars' praises, saying, "Don't be surprised if they're making a deep January run."
After Sunday's outstanding performance by both the Jaguars' offense and defense, nobody should be.
Orlovsky Praises Jaguars' Entire Roster
It's not just one thing about Jacksonville that stands out to Orlovsky. He praised basically the Jaguars' entire roster and their coaching staff as well.
"I think that the Jaguars have to be a team that we just sit there and say, 'Don't be surprised if they're making a deep January run.' They got a coach who's outstanding, play-call and design-wise. It seems like the team loves him. Quarterback is confident as any quarterback in the NFL right now. They got three receivers that can flat out go. They got two tight ends, but one that's really good. They got a good (running) back. This defensive line is hunting. Their defensive coordinator is a budding star in this league. I thought they covered really well on the perimeter as well."
Orlovsky went on to say that he believes the Jaguars will be a difficult team for any other team to match up against and that head coach Liam Coen has "a little bit of Ben Johnson" in him.
The former quarterback also said he believes Jacksonville is for real, a stance that not many in the national media were publicly taking before the season started.
Much Bigger Test In Week 2
Putting a whooping on the Browns is one thing. That's what a good team like the Jaguars is supposed to do.
Jacksonville will face a much bigger test in Week 2 when they go on the road to take on the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos just got embarrassed on Monday Night Football, losing 31-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
You can be sure Denver will have a little extra motivation with the possibility of starting the season 0-2 staring them in the face. Sean Payton will have his team ready to go when the Jaguars come to town.
If the Jaguars come out of Denver with another victory, expect many more people to join Orlovsky on the bandwagon.
Final Thoughts
Jacksonville had one of the best all-around performances of Week 1. The offense and defense both look like they belong among the best in the NFL.
If the Jaguars can turn in a similar effort against the Broncos, it will be incredibly hard for anyone to continue doubting them or claim they are only a one-year wonder.
