JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars are in unfamiliar territory: playing as heavy favorites.
The Jaguars (9-4) are favored by 13 1/2 points against the New York Jets (3-10) on Sunday, according to BetMGM. It’s the first time since 2007 that Jacksonville has been a two-touchdown-or-more pick by oddsmakers.
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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.”
Still searching for an INT
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.”
Healthier than any team could expect
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.
Tackling turnstiles
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.”
New York Jets (3-10) at Jacksonville (9-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. CBS.
BetMGM NFL odds: Jaguars by 13 1/2.
Against the spread: Jets 7-5-1, Jaguars 8-5.
Series record: Jaguars lead 9-8.
Last meeting: Jets beat the Jaguars 32-25 on Dec. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville.
Last week: Jets lost to the Dolphins 34-10; Jaguars beat the Colts 36-19.
Jets offense: overall (29), rush (7), pass (32), scoring (25).
Jets defense: overall (17), rush (30), pass (8), scoring (26t).
Jaguars offense: overall (17), rush (15), pass (19), scoring (9).
Jaguars defense: overall (11), rush (1), pass (22), scoring (11).
Turnover differential: Jets minus-15; Jaguars plus-8.
Jets player to watch
QB Brady Cook. The undrafted rookie will make his first NFL start with both Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields ruled out for the game. Cook, who was Taylor’s backup last Sunday against Miami because Fields was ruled out ahead of the game with knee soreness, filled in when Taylor was hurt in the first quarter and went 14 of 30 for 163 yards and two interceptions in his NFL regular-season debut.
Jaguars player to watch
RB Travis Etienne. He hasn’t topped 100 yards rushing since late September, a nine-game span in which he averaged 3.8 yards a carry. But he could be in for a big afternoon against a Jets defense that ranks 30th in the league against the run.
Key matchup
The Jaguars held Hall to 30 yards on the ground in their last meeting and hope to have similar success Sunday. Jacksonville is allowing 82.9 yards a game — on pace to set the franchise mark. The unit hasn’t allowed any single runner to reach 75 yards, and only two running backs have gained more than 20 yards on any carry against the Jags this season.
Key injuries
Jets: Taylor (groin) and Fields (knee) were ruled out Friday after not practicing during the week. ... TE Mason Taylor (neck), LB Kiko Mauigoa (neck) and CB Azareye’h Thomas (shoulder) are also out.
Jaguars: S Andrew Wingard and LT Walker Little, both of whom sat out against Indy, cleared concussion protocol and could return. Wingard was off the final injury report, while Little was listed as questionable. ... WR Parker Washington (hip) is working his way back after also missing the game last week, but it questionable vs. the Jets.
Series notes
The Jaguars are 5-2 against the Jets in Jacksonville, with the last four wins being by a combined score of 129-30.
Stats and stuff
The Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention for the 15th straight season — the NFL’s longest active drought. ... New York also has its sixth straight season with double-digit losses and ninth in 10 years. ... Cook will become the 55th starting QB in franchise history and the first undrafted rookie to do so since J.J. Jones in 1975. ... Taylor started the last three games in place of the benched Fields. ... Cook and Taylor didn’t get a lot of help from their receivers against the Dolphins. They had six dropped passes, giving them 26 for the season — third in the NFL behind Jacksonville (38) and Denver (33), according to Pro Football Reference. ... RB Breece Hall is 123 yards rushing from his first 1,000-yard season of his career. He’ll be looking for a bounce-back game after rushing for just 43 yards and being held without a catch for just the second time this season. ... The Jets have no interceptions through 13 games, an NFL record. ... Isaiah Williams is the third player in franchise history to have multiple punt return TDs in one season, joining Dick Christy (1961 and 1962) and Santana Moss (2002). ... Kene Nwangwu also has a 99-yard kickoff return for a score, giving the Jets their most TDs on returns since also having three in 2007. ... K Nick Folk needs two field goals to join Pat Leahy as the only players in franchise history to make 200. ... The Jaguars are trying to reach double-digit wins for the second time since 2007. Their plus-five win differential from 2024 to 2025 ranks second in the NFL behind New England (plus-seven). ... Jacksonville’s 182 points scored since Week 9 are the most in the AFC and the third most in the NFL. The team’s 65-point differential since its Week 8 bye leads the AFC. ... LB Foye Oluokun is the first player since 2019 with 100 or more tackles and 10 passes defensed through the first 13 games of a season. ... QB Trevor Lawrence is going for his fourth consecutive game with 225 or more yards and two TD passes. … WR Brian Thomas Jr. has at least 80 yards receiving in three straight games at EverBank Stadium. He had 10 catches for 105 yards and two TDs in his last game against the Jets. … WR Tim Patrick has a TD catch in three consecutive home games. ... DE Josh Hines-Allen has at least one sack in five of his last six games.
Fantasy tip
Jaguars WR Jakobi Meyers has a TD catch in three consecutive games.