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Jacksonville Jaguars can make playoffs after three straight trade within…
The AFC South playoff race has become a nail-biter, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts each possessing 8-6 records. Despite losing back-to-back-to-back games, the Jaguars’ playoff hopes are alive and well.
With the tie-breaker over the Texans and Colts, the easiest path into the postseason is to win out. If Jacksonville goes 3-0 in the next three weeks, they’ll earn the fourth seed in the AFC playoff picture and host the wild-card round. This isn’t out of the question with upcoming competitions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans.
The Buccaneers will pose the biggest challenge, as the fellow Florida team has been on a hot streak, going undefeated in December. If the Jaguars lose to the Buccaneers, their playoff chances fall from 71% to 53%, according to the New York Times. If that’s the case, a wild-card seed would become increasingly more reasonable.
If the Jaguars can win two of the three upcoming matchups, they hold a 94% chance of making playoffs. If they lose two of three, chances drop to 36%.
As for the division, the Texans have a more difficult remaining schedule with games against the Cleveland Browns, Titans and Colts. The Colts, on the other hand, face the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders before rounding out the season against the Texans.
The winner of the Week 18 Texans and Colts matchup will likely earn a playoff spot. The first time that the teams squared off, the Colts brought home a 31-20 Week 2 victory. Since then, the Texans have found their groove with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud at the helm.
If the postseason were to begin today, the Jaguars would host the Cleveland Browns, who sit at fifth in the playoff picture with a 9-5 record. A lot can change, however, in just three short weeks.
