The Jaguars host the Bengals on Monday night, ending a long stretch without Monday Night Football in Jacksonville.
The Jags last played on a Monday night in 2011, and returning to that spot is a reflection of how far the Jags have come in 2022. With five straight wins to end the regular season, the Jags became AFC South champions and defeated the AFC South League. The Chargers are heading into the playoffs to raise their profile heading into the 2023 season.
If he has another strong finish, his profile could increase even further. The Jags are one of four teams in the AFC with three losses and are in contention for the conference’s top seed in early December. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence wants his team to keep that in mind heading into the matchup against Cincinnati.
“If you want to talk about a No. 1 seed, we’re putting ourselves in a position where that is achievable,” Lawrence said via the team’s website. “We’re right in the middle of it. We don’t realize it. We’re taking it one game at a time. We’ve got to win one game at a time to get there.” But we know it’s real, and it’s within our reach, and it’s something we can do. It’s still early in the year. We’re getting closer to the second half, but we know that it’s something we can do. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We know what we can achieve and what we’re capable of. Being in this moment is really big.”
It’s a little early to start thinking about the scenarios the Jaguars need to finish in the No. 1 seed, but winning games does a lot of the heavy lifting, and Monday night is a chance to continue doing that.