JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are in unfamiliar territory: playing as heavy favorites.
Having won four in a row and five of six since their bye, the Jaguars can’t afford a letdown against the Jets and don’t want to look ahead from their new spot atop the AFC South.
“We just have no room for it at all,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “Mature football teams don’t let any of that creep into our minds and into our thought process. So that’s the message right now.”
It’s an about-face for a franchise that spent the first three months of the season relishing an underdog role. 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.
But doubters surely remain, especially since the Jaguars are trying to reach double-digit wins for just the second time in 18 seasons.
“Everyone kind of knows that; it’s not a secret,” Jaguars running back Travis Etienne said. “But if we keep taking care of our job, one day we’ll look back and be like, ‘Dang, there are low-key nice.’”
The Jets, meanwhile, haven’t beaten a team with a winning record this season. They’re coming off a 34-10 home loss to Miami that felt over in the first quarter.
“We have flushed the last game,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “We’re moving forward.”
And they'll do so with an undrafted rookie quarterback.
Tyrod Taylor (groin) and Justin Fields (knee) are dealing with injuries, leaving Brady Cook to make his first NFL start.
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.
“Supreme confidence,” running back Breece Hall said of Cook. “He takes every rep in practice like a pro. Once I heard how he came in the huddle and commanded the huddle, I was like, ‘All right, he isn’t nervous, he’ll be all right.’ We could have been better for him.”
The key to Jacksonville’s 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 — and little room for error with Houston and Indianapolis lurking.
“Every week is really critical,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “You just look at our division. Our division’s a tight race. It’s not like we’ve got this huge lead and can afford to mess around and lose any game.”
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’s 18.
“I wish I had the answer to that,” Glenn said when asked what he thinks has been the key to Jacksonville’s success. “But they’re 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.”
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, on injured reserve. The team's most concerning injury in Week 15: whether receiver Parker Washington (hip) will play against the Jets.
A week after they allowed Atlanta to run for 167 yards, including 142 by Bijan Robinson, the Jets gave up 239 to the Dolphins.
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.
“If you have 50 plays and you mess up five of them, you’re grading out at 90% and that’s a pretty damn good game,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. “But 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.”
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