Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 Bold predictions for AFC Championship vs. Patriots

The Jacksonville Jaguars aim to earn their first Super Bowl berth as they face the Patriots in the AFC Championship. Five bold predictions for the Jags.

If you’ve been watching the NFL in recent years, there’s a likely chance that you know the Jacksonville Jaguars as one of the bottom-feeders of the league. For several years now, they’ve been mired with poor quarterback play, bad roster decisions and much more. However, the Jags turned that narrative on its head in the 2017 season. Now, they’ll face off with the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

This has been quite the turn of events for the Jaguars, but not one that we couldn’t see coming. Even with the likes of Blake Bortles still manning the offense at quarterback, they have constructed one of the most fearsome defenses in the league through the draft and free agency. Meanwhile, they have a well-designed, old-school offense that limits what their limited quarterback is asked to do.

All of this has created a recipe for success. However, even a tested recipe sometimes doesn’t work from time to time. And the Patriots certainly have a track record of making that so. Thus, this could be a tough, tough test for the Jags on Sunday. Even with that, though, let’s dive into five bold predictions for Jacksonville in the 2018 AFC Championship Game.

5. Blake Bortles will not commit a turnover

We might as well come out of the gate swinging when it comes to these bold predictions. And there’s no better way to go about that than by saying the worst quarterback remaining in the postseason (this is inarguable, so don’t try) is going to go up against Matt Patricia’s defense and not commit a single turnover.

Bortles has been inconsistent to almost masterful degrees this season. There’s no doubt that there have been moments where he has made some plays. What’s more, the signal-caller has shown that he can do enough to get Jacksonville to a victory, hence why they’re in the AFC title game. With that being said, however, there have also been plenty of times throughout the year where you’ve wondered how in the hell Bortles still has a job in the NFL.

That’s just the type of player that he is. And as a result, that means that he’s been prone to mistakes and turning the ball over. On Sunday, though, this just feels like a team of destiny that will do what’s necessary. Not only do I not think that Doug Marrone won’t put his quarterback in bad spots, but I don’t believe the New England defense is overall good enough to capitalize on Bortles’ inevitable mistakes.