As the NFL season begins to come to a close, teams either fight for a spot in the playoffs, or just to get a few more wins.
This week proved to be quite the surprise, as the Jacksonville Jaguars rallied behind the play of former UCF quarterback Blake Bortles and secured their second victory of the season. The Miami Dolphins also managed to remain in the running for the playoffs, with a narrow victory over the New York Jets, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers let another close game slip from their hands.
Given how poorly the Jaguars have performed this season, I don’t think anyone was shocked to see them struggling against the New York Giants on Sunday. Thanks to three fumble recoveries, including two returned for touchdowns, the Jaguars shut down the Giants’ offense and pulled off one of the biggest comebacks of the season, with a final score of 25-24. Next week, the Jaguars will host division rival, the Houston Texans at 1:00 p.m.
Still hoping to attain at least a wild card spot in the playoffs, the Miami Dolphins managed a narrow victory, maintaining second place in their division. Their victory over the Jets was a relatively low scoring game, ending 16-13, with very few exceptional plays.
Of note, however, were the two missed field goals by the Jets along with the fact that quarterback Geno Smith threw only 13 times in the entire game. This is the lowest amount of pass attempts in a game for the entire NFL this season. The Miami Dolphins will head home next week to face the Baltimore Ravens for a 1:00 p.m. game.
Finally, we come to the disappointment that goes by the name of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Even with everything positive that this team has to brag about, such as an improved defense along with stellar performances from a few key offensive positions, they cannot help but make sure they lose almost every week. With a final score of 14-13, the Cincinnati Bengals walked away with the victory, while Buccaneers’ quarterback, Josh McCown, did very little to silence criticism, ending the loss with a passer rating of 58.1.
The Buccaneers head to Detroit next week to face the Lions, at 1:00 p.m. in what is sure to be a difficult game to watch.
