The Jaguars are no joke, Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post writes. After shutting out the Colts on Sunday, the Jags are now 4-3 with a real chance to put themselves in the playoff mix.
Despite the many question marks they have on offense – including quarterback – the talent-rich defense has bolstered them through the first half of the season. Thanks to high draft picks and lots of free agent dollars, Jacksonville has Jalen Ramsey, Dante Fowler Jr., and Calais Campbell to help anchor the defense. There are also late-round gems like Yannick Ngakoue and Telvin Smith, who was just rewarded with a lucrative four-year extension.
Jacksonville is on its bye this week, but they’ll look to build on their winning record when they face Cincinnati on Nov. 5. Here’s more from the AFC South:
- We have some details on Smith’s extension with the Jaguars, courtesy of NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The four-year pact is worth $44MM in new money with $20.5MM in guarantees. The deal can max out at $50MM and includes a $7.5MM signing bonus.
- It sounds like the Colts will bring Denzelle Good back from injured reserve. The guard/tackle is eligible to return in two weeks, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) notes. Good played well in Indianapolis’ season opener before the team discovered a torn wrist ligament the following day.
- The Texans are bringing tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz back from injured reserve.