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When the Jacksonville Jaguars square off against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at EverBank Field, they won’t just be trying to get to six wins and keeping themselves in the AFC South division race, they’ll also be attempting to have their first winning record at home since the 2010 NFL season.
The Jaguars have been abysmal at home the past few years, winning just a combined nine wins at The Bank from 2011 through 2014. This season however, a win Sunday in their home finale can lock in their first home winning record since that 2010 season and give them a 5-3 record in Jacksonville this year.
It’s a bit funny that the last time they did that was in 2010, when then quarterback David Garrard set the franchise single season passing touchdown record and the year they can lock in another home winning record, quarterback Blake Bortles obliterated that record.
Coming off two impressive offensive showings in back-to-back weeks, scoring over 90 points, the Jaguars look primed for another big day against a struggling Falcons team. Atlanta started the season hot but has been on a massive skid since going 5-0, losing seven games in a row. The Falcons are coming off a 38-0 blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers and quarterback Matt Ryan has been struggling to get things done.
Since the Falcons bye week, Ryan has thrown just five touchdowns and seven interceptions in four games. The Jaguars defense took advantage of a banged up Matt Hasslebeck and porous Indianapolis Colts offensive line and could be looking to do the same thing on Sunday to Atlanta. I think the Falcons have better overall weapons than the Colts right now offensively, but as mentioned in the past four weeks since the bye they’ve been outscored 50-129.
For the Jaguars offense, they appear to be just hitting their stride and could continue to pour it on a reeling Falcons defense, which ranks dead last in the NFL in sacks and has struggled to put pressure on the quarterback all season, just like Jacksonville. If the team, offensively, plays anything like they have the past two weeks, the Falcons could be in for a long day.
Am I saying I expect the Jaguars to blowout the Falcons? No, but this should be a game they dominate, given the momentum of each team headed to Sunday.