Can the Jaguars Dominate the Weak AFC South Division in 2023?
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:03 - The Niners minus 165 to win the NFC West.
00:06 The Eagles a slight minus money favorite
00:08 to win the NFC East around a minus 115 number.
00:11 And the Jaguars, DRS, that third strongest price
00:15 at minus 155.
00:17 Should they be that strong of a favorite
00:20 to win this division this year?
00:21 - I actually think they should be.
00:23 But again, we're gonna get into the Jaguars
00:25 in just a few moments.
00:26 It's not so much about what the Jaguars
00:28 can be here in 2023.
00:30 It's what we think the rest of the division cannot be.
00:32 Like the Titans, there's a lot of things
00:33 we're gonna talk about with them that have some issues.
00:35 And again, the Colts and the Houston Texans
00:37 aren't ready to challenge for a division.
00:39 So it's really a de facto two team race
00:41 where the one team should have quite a bit of headstart
00:43 just on the talent alone here, Ben.
00:45 - Yeah, yeah, that's a really good point, DRS.
00:47 It's not just what the evaluation
00:49 and outlook is for Jacksonville.
00:51 It's how it compares to the rest of the division overall.
00:55 You saw the win total, DRS, for the Jaguars.
00:57 Nine and a half, the over has the juice at minus 144.
01:02 Part of that is because they're competing
01:03 against the three other teams in the AFC South
01:06 that they will play in total twice each,
01:08 six times this year.
01:10 That should only bolster the overall win-loss record
01:13 for the Jags in 2023.
01:16 But frankly, there should be optimism.
01:17 The defense much improved a season ago.
01:20 Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne,
01:22 they now add in Calvin Ridley as well,
01:24 who, DRS, it was one of the first season-long prop bets
01:28 that I made Ridley over five and a half
01:30 receiving touchdowns, returning to the NFL this year
01:34 after serving a year-long suspension
01:36 for violating the NFL's gambling policy.
01:39 I believe in Ridley.
01:40 I believe in the added weapon he is
01:42 to this Jacksonville offense.
01:43 I think the Jags are certainly primed
01:45 to go over nine and a half wins.
01:47 - And they should, and they should.
01:48 They should benefit from having that week.
01:50 It's not their fault they play in this division here.
01:51 That should be a bonus for them
01:52 because you're not gonna apologize for beating teams up
01:55 that maybe are, maybe it's a say,
01:57 two to three years away as we try to project
01:59 on the Houston Texans here.
02:00 And also, but by the way,
02:02 if you take a look at the lineup here for the Jaguars,
02:05 right, you just mentioned it.
02:06 If we're looking at pure skill positions, Ben,
02:08 this is an upper echelon team.
02:09 When you say Ridley, Kirk, Jones, Ingram, Etienne,
02:12 and then also try to put in Trevor Lawrence,
02:13 that's as good as it gets in the NFL.
02:15 That's probably top 10 if you put it up on the board.
02:17 But having said that, here's where the issues might lie.
02:20 I like their defense.
02:20 They have a couple of good pass rushers,
02:22 a couple of quality guys in the secondary,
02:24 but you win in the trenches.
02:25 You win on the offensive line.
02:27 There are a lot of question marks
02:28 with the Jacksonville Jaguars on that offensive line
02:31 that we're gonna have to deal with.
02:32 Now, the one thing that can help you is
02:33 you don't have a statue of quarterback.
02:35 Trevor Lawrence can move.
02:36 They're gonna have, you know,
02:37 Doug Peterson is a quality football coach.
02:38 We'll put him in the right position here with RPOs.
02:40 But having said that, if there's one downfall
02:43 for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023,
02:45 it's gonna be the offensive line, not the skill positions.
02:48 (upbeat music)
02:50 (bells chiming)