One of the biggest surprises in Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season was the performance of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags played the first game of the season in London and looked genuinely impressive. They had a tough challenge against the Baltimore Ravens but dismantled them with absolute ease. And in a game that saw both backup quarterbacks taking the field in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville secured an impressive 44-7 win. The win pushed them to the top of the AFC South with a 2-1 record.
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Jacksonville was nothing short of amazing in this one, and they impressed on both sides of the ball. If we take a look at their offense, we can see Blake Bortles had one of the best games of his career after completing 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. Leonard Fournette contributed with 59 yards and a rushing score. Corey Grant added 75 yards on the ground. And Mercedes Lewis looked like a top-tier tight end with three scores and 62 yards in four catches. We must note Baltimore conceded 10 points IN THEIR FIRST TWO GAMES COMBINED. They looked like a top unit early on, but the Jags erased them off the field with absolute ease.
As if that wasn’t enough, Jacksonville also did a good job defensively. They limited Joe Flacco to 28 passing yards and two interceptions. Javorius Allen had 28 yards from the scrimmage line. And aside from Alex Collins (82 yards on nine carries), the Ravens failed to pose much of a threat on the attack. All of the credit should go to Jacksonville’s defense, though. They were the main reason why Baltimore struggled so much in this one.
Jacksonville has looked impressive in two of their first three games of the season, but fans should temper their expectations. But who knows? Maybe this will be the year where they will live up to the pre-season expectations. Bortles has looked competent, the offense is performing nicely, and Fournette has looked like a complete stud after the first three games. To make things better, their defense is clicking on all cylinders. And the off-season additions have proved to be excellent so far. The team has gone from a defensive joke to a filled-with-potential unit in roughly 12 months.
Look, the Jaguars are not going to become a juggernaut team from overnight. But maybe it’s time to put more attention to them. Considering the struggles of the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to imagine the Jags fighting for the Division title with the Tennessee Titans. The season is young and there are 13 games left, but Jacksonville has looked far better than expected.
And it’s time to start giving them the credit they deserve.