The Jacksonville Jaguars have been a laughing stock for far too long. Gus Bradley was finally fired after four awful years following his worst performance yet in 2016. He had the second-lowest winning percentage of any coach who was on the sidelines for at least 50 games and posted a 14-48 record. Things should be better under Doug Marrone, but for real improvement to happen, the offense must be better. Jacksonville hasn’t had an offense finish among the top ten in total yards since 2007 and that was the last time the franchise reached the postseason too.
AFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +141
Pittsburgh Steelers +415
Oakland Raiders +800
Houston Texans +1214
Kansas City Chiefs +1300
Denver Broncos +1600
Tennessee Titans +1800
Los Angeles Chargers +2250
Miami Dolphins +3000
Baltimore Ravens +3200
Indianapolis Colts +3500
Cincinnati Bengals +3800
Jacksonville Jaguars +5000
Buffalo Bills +9000
Cleveland Browns +9500
New York Jets +20000
Key Players for Winning the AFC
Blake Bortles – Can Bortles at least be average? The Jaguars have the most talent they have had in quite some time, but Bortles has been really bad aside from a 2015 season that was aided by a lot of luck. His numbers don’t look terrible, but they were severely helped by his performance in garbage time and he has been very erratic with his passes. This team has the potential to at least make the postseason, but Bortles play has been holding them back.
Leonard Fournette – It’s not hard to see what Jacksonville hoped to do by drafting Fournette at No. 4 overall in this year’s draft. The Jaguars are looking to follow the blueprint laid out by the Cowboys last season, who relied on Ezekiel Elliott to carry the load. Fournette is a big, bruising running back, but he doesn’t have a good offensive line in front of him. He will likely be leaned upon a lot as a rookie and must stay healthy for the Jaguars to have a chance.
Malik Jackson – Jackson proved to be worth the money that Jacksonville shelled out to him last offseason. He was able to get pressure on quarterbacks as a defensive tackle and was solid against the run too. He has become one of the best interior linemen in the NFL and could be even better in 2017. The Jaguars signed Calais Campbell away from Arizona this offseason and that should free up even more room for Jackson to operate.
Telvin Smith – The back seven is the strength of the Jaguars and Smith is a big reason why. He was seen as a hybrid linebacker/safety when he was drafted and there were questions about whether or not he could play outside linebacker in the NFL. Smith has answered those doubts and is now considered to be one of the best weak side linebackers in the NFL. At 6’3, 215 pounds, he has the speed to make plays and is fantastic in coverage from his time as a safety at Florida State. He doesn’t put up a lot of numbers in his position, but is known as a disruptor. Smith has also stayed remarkably healthy despite his size and might be a glimpse of where the position is headed in the future.
Jalen Ramsey – No cornerback was rated higher than Ramsey over the last four weeks of the regular season according to the stat-heads at Pro Football Focus. Ramsey is one of the most physically gifted players in the league and has more raw talent than almost any other corner in the NFL. He is still learning the position after playing three different positions during his three seasons in college, but came on strong at the end of 2016. Ramsey is physical and can play the run and jam his receiver off of his route. He takes some chances, but doesn’t often pay for him because of his incredible closing speed.
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