The Jaguars arrived at this Week 18 scenario by winning seven consecutive games in something of a must-win – and pressurized fashion.
They were 5-4 after a Week 10 loss to the Texans in Houston. They haven’t lost since, moving ahead of the Colts in the standings with a Week 14 victory over the Colts at EverBank Stadium and staying each week a game ahead of the equally-hot Texans.
The Texans have won eight consecutive games, with the Jaguars and Texans entering Week 18 with the NFL’s two longest active winning streaks. Neither has lost since the Texans’ victory over the Jaguars in Houston.
“You talk about winning the division because it’s what we have an opportunity to do,” Lawrence said. “It’s one game. Leading up to this point, we weren’t here yet. We had to win. You look at what Houston did. They’ve won a bunch of games, too, so we had to win those games to get this point to have an opportunity to continue to control the division and keep it in our hands.
“That’s what we did. We’re here to win the division.”