Jacksonville Jaguars

Win The AFC South: How Jacksonville Makes The Playoffs

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Playoff expectations for the 2016 Jacksonville Jaguars have been hurt by their sluggish start, but the Jaguars have a good chance to win the AFC South title.

There is speculation that head coach Gus Bradley must win the division and/or get into the playoffs to save his job. Whether the win in London helped Bradley or solidified the fact that a change must be made, only Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan knows for certain.

The next four games should be the determining factor regarding who occupies the position of Jaguars head coach. All four are reasonably winnable as well as the fifth game at home against the Houston Texans.

Here are the Jaguars opponents for the next four games that they must win.

The Chicago Bears are the Jaguars next opponent in Chicago. The Bears are also 1-3 and won their first game against Detroit in Week 4. Statistically, both teams have similar offensive numbers, Chicago averages 82.2 yards per game on the ground and Jacksonville averages 75.2 yards per game on the ground. In the air, Chicago averages 252.8 yards per game and Jacksonville 245.5.

Defensively, the Jaguars give up an average of 304 total yards per game to Chicago’s 330. The two teams are pretty even which mean the Jaguars could win in Chicago to go 2-3.

The Oakland Raiders come to Jacksonville after playing San Diego and Kansas City in consecutive weeks. This is a must-win game for Jacksonville regardless of the statistics and records. Should Jacksonville be 2-3, another home loss at Everbank Stadium is totally unacceptable. The Jaguars have got to find a way to win this one, but it won’t be easy.

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Tennessee plays host to Jacksonville on a Thursday night. This is a divisional game and a definite must-win game which has future playoff implications.

Tennessee plays Indianapolis that Sunday before the Jaguars game. Jacksonville has the better talent on the field offensively and defensively, hopefully the Jaguars leave Tennessee with a 4-3 record.

In Week 9 the Jaguars travel to Arrowhead Stadium to play the Kansas City Chiefs. Let’s hope that by this time, the Jaguars are rolling. The Jaguars have a chance but in reality will probably melt down in the hostile environment at Arrowhead. If the Chiefs play like they did in week four, the Jaguars will be 5-3 at home in another divisional showdown against Houston.

The Houston Texans are in town Week 10 for another must-win game. The fact of the matter is, when games are squandered away in the NFL, the next game is a must win game.

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