Rich: Why the Jacksonville Jaguars are the Best-Positioned Team in the NFL

After another Jaguar mauling, Rich made a declaration on The Rich Eisen Show that he labeled as fact, twice. Jacksonville is a Super Bowl contender, and right now it is the best positioned team in the National Football League.

Normally after a lopsided result, the show starts with the team in the most trouble. Not this time. Rich didn't want to upset the people of Duval County, "a very sensitive fan base that wants its respect when it is earned."

Wild Kingdom in the Rain

Jacksonville beat the Ravens 33-10, and Rich said a late touchdown made it look even that close. With Baltimore starting its third-string quarterback, the Jaguars "dismantled them. Took them apart."

"If you play the Jacksonville Jaguars and you are not buttoned up," Rich said, "if you play this team and you have mistakes or there are holes, Achilles heels, the Jaguars are going to find it and they're going to rip you apart like it's the wild kingdom." He described it as a nature show: the Jaguar in its natural habitat, destroying the Raven.

The only reason he still says the Jaguars *can be* a wagon instead of *are*? "Those two games in London stick out."

There was a little Ravens hope in the middle of the second quarter. Then Parker Washington grabbed one over the middle with his fingertips and took it to the house. Rich called Washington one of the emerging top receivers in the game, and said that's why Brian Thomas Jr.'s name is being bandied about as a trade piece. Rich doesn't see why Jacksonville would make that move, with Super Bowl contenders fighting wars of attrition across the league.

Why Jacksonville's Position Beats Everyone's

Rich's argument is about the standings around the Jaguars. Plenty of teams have six wins, including the Bears, who top his power rankings, the Bills, Vikings, Niners and Steelers. The difference is who's chasing them.

Pittsburgh has the two Ohio teams above .500 behind it. Buffalo has New England, which won the conference last year, right behind it. Denver has the Chiefs at 5-2 on its heels.

Jacksonville? "The Jaguars could essentially print playoff tickets, 'cause the next best team in their division has got two wins," Rich said. "And the other two-win team might be trading Jonathan Taylor in the next 72 to 90 hours." They're positioned for the one seed, with five conference wins including victories over Cincinnati and New England.

Fine-Tuning in Jacksonville

Even after a blowout, Trevor Lawrence, whom Rich called the Jaguars' MVP candidate, was talking about improvements. "Honestly, today should have been more," Lawrence said. "Defense gave us a few short fields and we kicked a bunch of field goals. So that's something that we need to improve on."

"We won the game. That's what we came here to do," Lawrence added. "But we do have to improve, and I think you look at the stretch coming up. We get a few days off here and then it's go time. It's going to get real."

Road Warriors

The schedule explains Lawrence's urgency. Rich pointed out that the Titans, who won their first game of the season in Indianapolis and nearly took out Cincinnati, are on Jacksonville's schedule twice in the next three weeks.

And there's the travel. Since beating New England at home on September 27, Jacksonville has played exactly one home game, against Indianapolis, with two games in London, a bye, the trip to Baltimore and two more road games ahead. The next home game is November 29 against Tennessee. "One game in Jacksonville. That's it," Rich said.

Head coach Liam Coen has it in his sights. "The second half challenge is going to be being at our best when our best is truly required," Coen said, "being road warriors in a lot of ways with one game being played in Jacksonville in a 65-day span."

It Feels Different

The skeptic's line came from across the desk: "We've been down this road before." Rich knows. Injuries have hit before. But he said this is a deeper team than the ones that fell apart.

"This doesn't have the feel of 'where's the golf cart for Trevor Lawrence when he's limping up the tunnel,'" Rich said. "That's not even in the realm. They're playing their asses off. And so kudos to them."