{"id":596121,"date":"2025-12-13T00:48:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T00:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/596121\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T00:48:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T00:48:14","slug":"heavily-favored-jaguars-look-to-stay-hot-and-atop-the-afc-south-as-jets-come-to-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/596121\/","title":{"rendered":"Heavily favored Jaguars look to stay hot and atop the AFC South as Jets come to town"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The Jacksonville Jaguars are in unfamiliar territory: playing as heavy favorites.<\/p>\n

The Jaguars (9-4) are favored by 13 1\/2 points against the New York Jets (3-10) on Sunday, according to BetMGM. It\u2019s the first time since 2007 that Jacksonville has been a two-touchdown-or-more pick by oddsmakers.<\/p>\n

Having won four in a row and five of six since their bye<\/a>, the Jaguars can\u2019t afford a letdown against the Jets and don\u2019t want to look ahead from their new spot atop the AFC South.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have no room for it at all,\u201d Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. \u201cMature football teams don\u2019t let any of that creep into our minds and into our thought process. So that\u2019s the message right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an about-face for a franchise that spent the first three months of the season relishing an underdog role<\/a>. Beating Houston, Kansas City and San Francisco in consecutive weeks early swayed some. Lopsided wins against the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee and Indianapolis have seemingly opened more eyes recently.<\/p>\n

But doubters surely remain, especially since the Jaguars are trying to reach double-digit wins for just the second time in 18 seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone kind of knows that; it\u2019s not a secret,\u201d Jaguars running back Travis Etienne said. \u201cBut if we keep taking care of our job, one day we\u2019ll look back and be like, \u2018Dang, there are low-key nice.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jets, meanwhile, haven\u2019t beaten a team with a winning record this season. They\u2019re coming off a 34-10 home loss to Miami<\/a> that felt over in the first quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have flushed the last game,\u201d Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. \u201cWe\u2019re moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they\u2019ll do so with an undrafted rookie quarterback.<\/p>\n

Tyrod Taylor (groin) and Justin Fields (knee) are dealing with injuries, leaving Brady Cook to make his first NFL start<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cook, who threw 49 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in five seasons at Missouri, completed 14 of 30 passes for 163 yards and two interceptions in relief of Taylor last week. It was his first regular-season action.<\/p>\n

\u201cSupreme confidence,\u201d running back Breece Hall said of Cook. \u201cHe takes every rep in practice like a pro. Once I heard how he came in the huddle and commanded the huddle, I was like, \u2018All right, he isn\u2019t nervous, he\u2019ll be all right.\u2019 We could have been better for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key to Jacksonville\u2019s season has been playing complementary football, with offense, defense and special teams sharing the spotlight. The Jaguars now have a one-game lead in the division with four to play \u2014 and little room for error with Houston and Indianapolis lurking.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery week is really critical,\u201d Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. \u201cYou just look at our division. Our division\u2019s a tight race. It\u2019s not like we\u2019ve got this huge lead and can afford to mess around and lose any game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still searching for an INT<\/p>\n

The Jets have not had an interception this season, an NFL record for a team through its first 13 games. It has been a constant topic of discussion and something that has frustrated the entire defense. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have 15 this season, tying them for second in the NFL behind only Chicago\u2019s 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I had the answer to that,\u201d Glenn said when asked what he thinks has been the key to Jacksonville\u2019s success. \u201cBut they\u2019re doing a hell of a job. … They have an attacking style that really puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback, which obviously allows for those picks to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healthier than any team could expect<\/p>\n

Jacksonville has played without a number of starters over the course of the season but appears to be as close to healthy as any team could or should expect in mid-December. The Jaguars have only one starter, two-way rookie Travis Hunter<\/a>, on injured reserve. The team\u2019s most concerning injury in Week 15: whether receiver Parker Washington (hip) will play against the Jets.<\/p>\n

Tackling turnstiles<\/p>\n

A week after they allowed Atlanta to run for 167 yards, including 142 by Bijan Robinson, the Jets gave up 239 to the Dolphins.<\/p>\n

New York struggled against the run early in the season but seemed to stiffen until the past few games. Missed tackles and blown assignments have been factors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have 50 plays and you mess up five of them, you\u2019re grading out at 90% and that\u2019s a pretty damn good game,\u201d defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. \u201cBut if those five times are all 10-yard runs in your gap, it makes it very difficult. I think the opponent did a really good job of exploiting those small things. … But that many rushing yards is completely unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

New York Jets (3-10) at Jacksonville (9-4)<\/p>\n

Sunday, 1 p.m. CBS.<\/p>\n

BetMGM NFL odds: Jaguars by 13 1\/2.<\/p>\n

Against the spread: Jets 7-5-1, Jaguars 8-5.<\/p>\n

Series record: Jaguars lead 9-8.<\/p>\n

Last meeting: Jets beat the Jaguars 32-25 on Dec. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

Last week: Jets lost to the Dolphins 34-10; Jaguars beat the Colts 36-19.<\/p>\n

Jets offense: overall (29), rush (7), pass (32), scoring (25).<\/p>\n

Jets defense: overall (17), rush (30), pass (8), scoring (26t).<\/p>\n

Jaguars offense: overall (17), rush (15), pass (19), scoring (9).<\/p>\n

Jaguars defense: overall (11), rush (1), pass (22), scoring (11).<\/p>\n

Turnover differential: Jets minus-15; Jaguars plus-8.<\/p>\n

Jets player to watch<\/p>\n

QB Brady Cook. The undrafted rookie will make his first NFL start with both Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields ruled out for the game. Cook, who was Taylor\u2019s backup last Sunday against Miami because Fields was ruled out ahead of the game with knee soreness, filled in when Taylor was hurt in the first quarter and went 14 of 30 for 163 yards and two interceptions in his NFL regular-season debut.<\/p>\n

Jaguars player to watch<\/p>\n

RB Travis Etienne. He hasn\u2019t topped 100 yards rushing since late September, a nine-game span in which he averaged 3.8 yards a carry. But he could be in for a big afternoon against a Jets defense that ranks 30th in the league against the run.<\/p>\n

Key matchup<\/p>\n

The Jaguars held Hall to 30 yards on the ground in their last meeting and hope to have similar success Sunday. Jacksonville is allowing 82.9 yards a game \u2014 on pace to set the franchise mark. The unit hasn\u2019t allowed any single runner to reach 75 yards, and only two running backs have gained more than 20 yards on any carry against the Jags this season.<\/p>\n

Key injuries<\/p>\n

Jets: Taylor (groin) and Fields (knee) were ruled out Friday after not practicing during the week. … TE Mason Taylor (neck), LB Kiko Mauigoa (neck) and CB Azareye\u2019h Thomas (shoulder) are also out.<\/p>\n

Jaguars: S Andrew Wingard and LT Walker Little, both of whom sat out against Indy, cleared concussion protocol and could return. Wingard was off the final injury report, while Little was listed as questionable. … WR Parker Washington (hip) is working his way back after also missing the game last week, but it questionable vs. the Jets.<\/p>\n

Series notes<\/p>\n

The Jaguars are 5-2 against the Jets in Jacksonville, with the last four wins being by a combined score of 129-30.<\/p>\n

Stats and stuff<\/p>\n

The Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention for the 15th straight season \u2014 the NFL\u2019s longest active drought. … New York also has its sixth straight season with double-digit losses and ninth in 10 years. … Cook will become the 55th starting QB in franchise history and the first undrafted rookie to do so since J.J. Jones in 1975. … Taylor started the last three games in place of the benched Fields. … Cook and Taylor didn\u2019t get a lot of help from their receivers against the Dolphins. They had six dropped passes, giving them 26 for the season \u2014 third in the NFL behind Jacksonville (38) and Denver (33), according to Pro Football Reference. … RB Breece Hall is 123 yards rushing from his first 1,000-yard season of his career. He\u2019ll be looking for a bounce-back game after rushing for just 43 yards and being held without a catch for just the second time this season. … The Jets have no interceptions through 13 games, an NFL record. … Isaiah Williams is the third player in franchise history to have multiple punt return TDs in one season, joining Dick Christy (1961 and 1962) and Santana Moss (2002). … Kene Nwangwu also has a 99-yard kickoff return for a score, giving the Jets their most TDs on returns since also having three in 2007. … K Nick Folk needs two field goals to join Pat Leahy as the only players in franchise history to make 200. … The Jaguars are trying to reach double-digit wins for the second time since 2007. Their plus-five win differential from 2024 to 2025 ranks second in the NFL behind New England (plus-seven). … Jacksonville\u2019s 182 points scored since Week 9 are the most in the AFC and the third most in the NFL. The team\u2019s 65-point differential since its Week 8 bye leads the AFC. … LB Foye Oluokun is the first player since 2019 with 100 or more tackles and 10 passes defensed through the first 13 games of a season. … QB Trevor Lawrence is going for his fourth consecutive game with 225 or more yards and two TD passes. \u2026 WR Brian Thomas Jr. has at least 80 yards receiving in three straight games at EverBank Stadium. He had 10 catches for 105 yards and two TDs in his last game against the Jets. \u2026 WR Tim Patrick has a TD catch in three consecutive home games. … DE Josh Hines-Allen has at least one sack in five of his last six games.<\/p>\n

Fantasy tip<\/p>\n

Jaguars WR Jakobi Meyers has a TD catch in three consecutive games. <\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The Jacksonville Jaguars are in unfamiliar territory: playing as heavy favorites. The Jaguars (9-4) are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":596122,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2060],"tags":[1585,4127,2723,487,7,18453,212,125,2401,213,493,1642,6,8466,9,7150,128,314,11863],"class_list":{"0":"post-596121","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville-jaguars","8":"tag-aaron-glenn","9":"tag-bijan-robinson","10":"tag-brady-cook","11":"tag-breece-hall","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-harrison-phillips","14":"tag-jacksonville","15":"tag-jacksonville-jaguars","16":"tag-jacksonvillejaguars","17":"tag-jaguars","18":"tag-justin-fields","19":"tag-liam-coen","20":"tag-nfl","21":"tag-parker-washington","22":"tag-sports","23":"tag-travis-etienne","24":"tag-travis-hunter","25":"tag-trevor-lawrence","26":"tag-tyrod-taylor"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115709509940000103","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}