There had been numerous folks asking numerous questions about Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars entering Week 11, with Jacksonville contemporary off an unsightly house beatdown courtesy of the 49ers. There had been whispers about Lawrence for various other causes. Plenty of folks had been wondering the offense. Chatter used to be construction about Lawrence failing to are living up to his lofty pre-draft expectancies. The Jaguars, even at 6-3, had been being considered as a paper tiger. Was Lawrence totally wholesome?
None of the ones issues appeared remotely like a subject on Sunday in a dominant department win, a 34-14 beatdown of the Titans that used to be principally out of hand early in the 2nd 1/2 when Lawrence lunged into the finish zone to make it 20-0.
The Will Levis-led Titans offense did not have sufficient juice in the tank to muster the rest remotely comparable to a comeback — either one of Levis’ landing passes simply served to minimize the Titans deficit down to 20 issues.
And it used to be arduous now not to suppose about the 2022 Jaguars as this evisceration used to be going on. Last yr the Jaguars, beneath then first-year head trainer Doug Pederson, struggled their method to a 3-7 report via the first 10 weeks of the season. They went into their Week 11 bye with a lot of the similar questions lingering round Lawrence, with folks writing him off after a year-and-a-half, maximum of which used to be spent driving aboard the derailed-before-departure Urban Meyer Express.
When Week 12 came visiting, the Jags stunned Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, successful as a three.5-point house canine. They’d get blown out by means of the Lions the following week however then did not lose every other recreation till they traveled to Kansas City for the divisional spherical of the playoffs.
Jacksonville’s agenda is a lot more tricky this yr … or a minimum of it used to be. Matchups in opposition to the Ravens (minus Mark Andrews), Bengals (minus Joe Burrow) and Browns (minus Deshaun Watson) abruptly change into considerably more uncomplicated to navigate. The Titans are on the agenda another time and the Jags have not even performed the Panthers but.
The Jaguars will have to win at least 4 extra video games this season, which might get them to 11 wins and all however ensure a playoff berth and most likely a department identify. The Texans received once more on Sunday which means there is nonetheless so much to be made up our minds when it comes to the AFC South. Week 12’s matchup in Houston would possibly really well be a de facto department identify recreation; a Jags win offers them a 90% likelihood of touchdown the department identify belt per the Upshot, while a Texans victory offers them a 60% likelihood to win. It’s an enormous recreation.
Obviously the scenario is vastly other than final yr too, as the Jags had been 6-3 entering Sunday, as opposed to 3-7 after they began ripping off wins final yr. In 2022, the upside used to be stealing the department identify at the final minute from Tennessee and web hosting a playoff recreation. In 2023, the upside would possibly really well be the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Get your diapers in a position
Dan Campbell joked about his circle of relatives desiring diapers to watch the Lions play as a result of he is repeatedly going for it on fourth downs. On Sunday, Lions enthusiasts wanted a pallet full of Oops! with the thrill journey Campbell’s workforce gave them en path to a wild 31-26 comeback win over the lowly Bears at Ford Field.
I’m now not certain if the Lions had been having a look forward to Thanksgiving and a Thursday house matchup in opposition to the Packers or if the Bears simply introduced their “A” recreation with Justin Fields again on the box for the first time in a couple of weeks. But Detroit seemed off in a foul method for many of this recreation.
Jared Goff’s been one in all the height two or 3 quarterbacks in the NFC this yr and he used to be dreadful for many of this recreation, throwing a couple of inexplicable early interceptions earlier than including a 3rd one later. But when the chips had been down, Goff performed like the top-tier quarterback we have observed all season, discovering Jameson Williams for a 32-yard landing and putting in place a go-ahead goal-line plunge for David Montgomery.
The Lions just about lined — it will were a complete travesty and an all-time unhealthy beat — however a Fields fumble went out of the finish zone to give them only a five-point victory after 3 unanswered fourth-quarter ratings. All that came about after Cairo Santos kicked a box target to give the Bears a 26-14 lead with simply over 4 mins left in the recreation.
Chicago’s win chance was as high as 97.3%. NFL teams trailing by means of 12+ issues with lower than 5 mins left entered Week 11 0-84 on the season. The Lions themselves entered this recreation 1-121 since 2000 when trailing by means of 12+ issues with 5 mins last. To say this used to be not likely is slightly the understatement.
The miracle victory strikes the Lions to 8-2, the first time since 1962 they have been this just right 10 video games into the season. That yr their defensive coordinator used to be … Don Shula.
And whilst dominating the Bears at house is at all times extra spectacular than pulling a rabbit out of a hat, there is something to be stated for a victory like this from Detroit. Campbell went for it on fourth and quick final week to seal a win over the Chargers in a shootout and then Goff controlled to lead a surprising comeback. Winning in several techniques is a superb factor, when a workforce is as constant as Detroit’s confirmed to be this yr.
Detroit attracts the Packers in a couple of days and may — relying on Monday night time’s Eagles-Chiefs recreation — leap into the height spot in the NFC. Even if they’ve to wait, the Lions (vs. GB, at Saints, vs. Bears) agenda the subsequent 3 weeks is way softer than the Eagles (at Chiefs, vs. Bills, vs. 49ers) and in a month’s time we would possibly neatly be speaking about the Lions as the height workforce in the NFC.