Rapid Recap – No Fournette, no problem-Jaguars roll to playoffs

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered into Sunday’s contest against the Houston Texans without their star rookie RB Leonard Fournette due to a banged up thigh 

The Jags were looking to clinch their first playoff birth since 2007 with a win against their AFC South Rival, and boy, did they ever come out for this one. In the first quarter they would score off a 13 play 78 yard drive When Tommy Bohanon would punch it in from one yard out to take the 7-0 lead.

The second quarter is where Jacksonville really stepped on the gas. Blake Bortles would toss three TD passes two of which the unheralded Jaydon Mickens was the target. Here’s the one that made it 21-0:

BORTLES!
MICKENS!

The @Jaguars! #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/aqz3uJ6qjc

— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2017

Add a Josh Lambo field goal, another score and the Jags took a commanding 31-0 halftime lead. So it looked like the decade absence from the playoffs was already settled at the half.

The Jaguars were able to hold the lead during the second half, which with their defense was to be expected. They would close out with a 45-7 impressive win.

The Jags with the win still sit alone the AFC South standings. If they hold serve down the stretch here they will at least get to host a playoff game. They still have a shot at a first round bye depending on how the Patriots and Steelers do to close out the season

One important thing to note is that the Jags are now 3-0 without Leonard Fournette. Also it can’t be stated enough about the way Blake Bortles has been playing. He is having the best stretch of his career during this three game win streak. He’s proving to step up in the part of the season where it really matter. You can tell that his command of the offense is much more settled in that it was in that wild win against the Chargers in week 10.